“We’ll need a few minutes to make our decision,” Spade said after a few minutes silence.
“Of course,” Ten Howls replied. “I only caution you to not take long, events may decide your fate with or without you.”
Spade nodded and the Cards withdrew to the far side of the cavern.
Diamond spoke first. “Boss, I feel pressed to remind you that this is way off-mission. We’re not here to play hero and save the country from the big bad griffons. We need to take the information we have and get back to the States.”
“I’m aware that we’re off the rails, Diamond,” Spade snorted, ears flat with irritation, “but I don’t think that Ten Howls will simply let us leave without a fight. Plus, like he said, he has more intel on what Iron Talons is planning.”
“Boss, he’s playing us for idiots and you know it!” Diamond’s wings flared as he paced back and forth. “Anyone can say that they know more and just string us along. I say we take what we have and leave now, before Iron Talons drops his entire army on our heads.”
“We can’t just leave these dogs to die,” Rangel interrupted. “Look, I know we have the mission, but regardless, we’re involved now. Look at what we’ve seen so far: Iron Talons is kidnapping dogs from all over the north for something, and I doubt it’s because they need to make more Girl Scout cookies. So, to me we can either take the scraps of information we have, which amounts to ‘We know Iron Talons is doing something bad in the north.’ or we can dig deeper and find out what he’s actually doing, maybe even stop it.”
Diamond glared at Rangel, but before he could respond Heart stepped forward. “I agree with Rangel. There’s still too many holes in this we need to fill in, otherwise we’ve wasted our entire time here.”
Spade scowled, then turned to Club, Rover, Fido and Spot. “Well? Got anything to say?”
Club shrugged, while Rover shook his head. “Rangel is alpha, we follow him.” Rover’s claws scraped harshly over each other. “But Rover want to teach Iron Talons griffons not so above dogs they can’t be dragged down.”
Spade closed his eyes, sighing heavily. “Okay, here’s the plan. For now we stay, see what Ten Howls has in mind to ask us to do. Once we have the information we need, then we are leaving to return to Equestria.”
“I suppose that will work,” Ten Howls called from the far side of the room. He grinned toothily as every head turned toward him. “You are in my mountain after all, did you really expect me not to listen to your discussion?”
Spade grumbled under his breath as he led the Cards back to the base of the steps. “Well, since we don’t need to repeat ourselves, what exactly did you have in mind?” He raised a hoof as Ten Howls started to rise. “Before you say anything, I will not take risks that unnecessarily put my team’s lives in jeopardy. Is that clear?”
“Crystal.” Ten Howls clapped his paws together. “Now, I am sure that you have had a hard journey, and would like some food?”
Heart’s stomach growled a loud assent, to his embarrassment.
“I suppose we can accept your hospitality, since we are allies now,” Spade answered.
“Excellent, then if you’d follow me.” Ten Howls leapt down from the top of the stairs, the barest hint of a thud marking his impact as he headed for the tunnel they’d entered.
Startled by the sudden motion, the Cards and dogs scrambled after him, forming into a ragged line. Spade hurried to keep pace with Ten Howls, the dog’s longer strides forcing him to take two steps for his every one. “So, just how long has your pack been living inside this mountain? The tunnel network is enormous.”
“Oh, we’ve only lived here for a short period, after we were forced out of our last den,” Ten Howls answered, his face growing dark. “You’ll understand more shortly, but it has been hard ever since Iron Talons took the griffon’s throne. We very rarely get dogs who’ve escaped, so information has been sparse on his most recent activities.” He raised a paw as Spade opened his mouth. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the information I promised you.”
He lead them through several tunnels, some heading upward toward the peak, only to abruptly wind downward. There were torches spaced enough to keep the tunnels illuminated, but one feature was glaringly absent.
“Where are the dogs?” Heart whispered. “Surely we’d have seen them by now, even just a guard.”
“You’re right about that,” Rangel muttered, nose twitching as something in Ten Howl’s scent changed. The dog king’s ears and tail drooped slightly, and Rangel’s eyes narrowed as an unpleasant thought began to form in his head. “Ten Howls? Just how many dogs are living in this mountain?”
Ten Howls stopped at the mouth of the next tunnel. He turned his head a fraction to look back at Rangel, eyes hollowed by the firelight and a weight of repressed grief. “Not enough.”
With that, he gestured for them to follow him and stepped into the cavern beyond. It was spacious, the ceiling narrowing with the slope of the mountain. The floor sloped gently away from them, leading toward the far wall where several inset heating pits yawned. Traces of smoke rose into the air from them, drifting toward the distant ceiling and a carved flue.
More openings were cut into the sides of the cavern, and as the Cards walked further into the room, huddled figures began to stir in the few closest to the pits. A bolder few growled challenges, their hackles raised.
Spade blinked in shock. “There’s so few…”
“I count thirty, Spade,” Diamond said quietly, his expression sour.
“You have good eyes.” Ten Howls walked toward the firepits, waving off the dogs. “We have some dogs out keeping eyes on the mountain approaches as well, but this collection of packs numbers about forty.”
Rangel growled, low in his throat. “What happened?”
“Iron Talons decided that to continue his plans, he needed laborers. Of course the work was beneath his people, but he felt that the Diamond Dogs were the perfect alternative. Of course, we disagreed, and it wasn’t long before open fighting broke out.”
He turned and walked to one of the closer pits, pulling a small pawful of gems from a pocket and tossing it to the figures cowering in the back. A faint murmur of thanks could be heard, to which he shook his head. “However, our own pack nature worked against us, and the griffons picked us off one by one. The pack which held this mountain initially refused entry to all others, but as our numbers dwindled, they finally saw reason and allowed us in.”
“You say it as though you weren’t in that pack,” Spade observed.
Ten Howls hesitated briefly. “I wasn’t. My pack was one of the first taken prisoner. I’ve seen what happens in his camps, and an idea of what he intends to do.” He shuddered as the memory returned. “It was hell, plain and simple. I won’t go into detail on what they used my people for, but I saw them use their vile rituals to travel to Sirius-knows-where, and they returned with weapons unlike anything we’d seen. I’d thought they’d use those weapons to burn out the remaining packs and any griffons that didn’t agree with his plan. But it was so much worse.”
“What do you mean?” Heart asked.
“They started bringing back piles of cut wood, nails, and other strange machinery, along with pony captives. I never saw their fate, but given the fate of the captive dogs, I still pray for them.” Ten Howls shivered again. “But, I did see what they’re building now. Airships, armed with these new weapons.”
“From St. Louis,” Club muttered.
“It sounds like it,” Spade agreed. “Though my next question is what’s their play? They can’t sail the airships into Equestria undetected; overhead would see them clear as day.”
“Can they control the weather like pegasi?” Heart asked.
“No, griffons only ride wind, not shape it,” Rover said firmly.
“Their rituals,” Diamond blurted. “It’s their damn bloody rituals. Think about it, Boss, from St. Louis. They were able to teleport themselves from the middle of the country all the way here. A hop from here into Equestria would be a walk in the park.”
“Why just Canterlot?” Rangel started to pace. “If they’re able to jump there, then how hard would it be to hit more?”
Ten Howls nodded slowly. “It would make it impossible for Lady Sun or Moon to respond without sacrificing their people, which I have trouble believing they would.”
Spade nodded slowly. “So, the question is, what can we realistically do?”
Ten Howls’ ears fell. “Truthfully? Not much of anything. We just don’t have the numbers, and more importantly, these dogs lack hope.”
“Well, let’s put our heads together, see what shakes loose.” Rangel said firmly. “You said you’d been to Iron Talon’s mountain, right? So how did you escape?”
Ten Howls hesitated briefly. “I waited until they’d put us back in our cells, then dug my way out. I don’t know how long it took me, but I dug until I came across one of the ancient tunnels and then followed it to the surface.”
Rangel scowled. “You told us earlier not to lie to you, but now you’re the one feeding us bullshit. If you want us to trust you, then you need to give some too. It’s not just yours or our necks on the line here.” He gestured toward the sleeping dens. ”For their sake, just tell us the truth.”
“It’s…” Ten Howls trailed off as the other dogs began to perk their ears up. “It is not something we dogs really talk about with outsiders, so forgive my reluctance.” He cleared his throat. “Dogs share an affinity with the earth and the deep places, as I’m sure you know. But when the stars are right, a dog is born with a much stronger connection to the bones of the world. We called those rare dogs Stonesingers. The strongest of them were rumored to be able to shatter mountains or raise them up from the ground, but now there are almost none left.” He sighed heavily, then knelt to press a paw on the cavern floor. The stone seemed to almost shimmer like wet rock, and his paw sank up to the wrist. “I believe I may be one of the last, until more are born, but with our numbers so small…” He growled, shaking his head, eyes closed.
“Wait, you mean stone shaping?” Rangel crouched down, peering at Ten Howl’s submerged paw. “Ferrik taught me a little about it, but he didn’t say anything about it being rare…” He pressed his paw to the floor, the stone parting around it like thick mud. The gathered dogs yipped in alarm and withdrew several paces.
Ten Howls’ jaw dropped. “You… you are a stonesinger too?”
“Um, I guess?” Rangel pulled his paw from the ground. “Like I said, Ferrik didn’t say much of it being rare though…”
Ten Howls yanked his paw free and lunged, grabbing Rangel by his vest. “Who is this Ferrik? What pack is he from?”
Rangel growled and shoved Ten Howls back. “He’s a diamond dog from the West pack. He taught me everything I know after my—”
“Rangel, that’s enough!” Spade interrupted. “Ten Howls, I understand this is something alarming to you, but—”
“Be silent, pony!” Ten Howls snapped. “A certain measure of secrecy I could understand and forgive, but to bring a Stonesinger here? One trained by other packs? Do you understand what this means?” His voice grew rougher, moisture gathering. “It means we aren’t alone. There are other dogs out there…”
“Well, I’d not expect them to really be able to come riding to the rescue,” Rangel pointed out. “But yeah, there are other dogs.” He glanced at Spade. “Can we have a minute, Ten Howls?”
He stared suspiciously at them, but nodded.
“Thank you.” Rangel, the Cards, and the rest of the pack withdrew to a far corner of the room.
“Rangel, you cannot tell him about yourself like that!” Spade hissed. “It’s a huge violation of secrecy, and could jeopardize not only this mission but the entire Canid project as well!”
“How?” Rangel shot back. “They told me after I Converted the project was going to be announced anyway, so how does telling these dogs who literally have no means to spread word to anyone else hurt things? Look at them, Spade!”
“You don’t get to decide when information is released until it’s formally been cleared by the chain of command! And last I checked, you aren’t team leader here, so you will not make decisions like that without approval!” Spade half-shouted, stamping his hoof.
“Um,” Spot tugged on Rangel’s jacket, “What Alpha mean, Converted?”
Spade facehoofed. “How did I forget they were here?”
“I can still hear you!” Ten Howls called, one of his ears to the ground and a mocking grin on his muzzle.
“Cat’s out of the bag now,” Club pointed out. “And Rangel has a point, word isn’t going to get out from here anyway.”
Spade growled, facehoofing again. “Alright, fine. But only discuss the specifics of your Conversion.”
“Understood,” Rangel replied.
“Wait, Fido confused.” He scratched his head, eyes squinted in concentration. “So Alpha was hooman, then got pony shot, and became diamond dog?”
“Yes, Fido,” Rangel replied with a sigh.
“And Alpha really saw Great Alpha Sirius?” Spot asked, tail wagging fiercely, practically on his toes in excitement.
Rangel frowned. “Well, I think it was more a dream, but yeah, is what he said his name was. Truthfully I was expecting Princesses Celestia and Luna since they’re the only ones mentioned with conversion dreams, but since I was the first diamond dog convert I guess it makes sense that he showed up.”
Ten Howls shook his head. “I have a hard time believing any of this. So if you are telling the truth, then there are hoomans out there… ‘converting’ into ponies and now dogs? But you haven’t really said why.”
“Well, because apparently our world is going to be sucked back to where yours came from, so everyone has to convert. The diamond dog shot was made to give more choice, and help the population rise. I was given the choice as an alternative to my sentence.” Rangel muttered.
“Alpha mentioned that before,” Rover growled. “What did Alpha do?”
“I was…” Rangel swallowed, “I was part of an attack on a city in my country. Our mission was to loot the Conversion Bureau and kill any ponies we found there. I refused an order to kill a room of foals, and killed my sergeant and squadmates when they tried.”
Rover bared his teeth. “These others, they were your pack, and you killed them?”
Rangel shook his head. “Not really, not like that. We were drawn from different units across the Army, and assigned together for the mission.”
Spot fidgeted. “So, Alpha was warrior before he became dog?”
“Well, you could say that,” Rangel sighed. “Though I’m not sure any more.”
“What kind of warrior was Alpha?” Spot leaned forward eagerly.
“Well, I was an…” Rangel trailed off as he tried to figure out the word, “I was a…” he growled irritably, “I was an infantryman.” The English scraped over his teeth, tongue fumbling on the consonants.
Spot tilted his head. “What word is that? Isn’t Equestrian or Stonetongue.”
“Well, it’s the language where I’m from,” Rangel replied. “I was trained to fight, but not by myself, in a group.”
“So, like a pack?” Rover asked, ears up despite his earlier distrust.
“Well, you could look at it that way, but not really. We all trained together, but people got moved around as time went on.”
Rover leaned back, eyes narrowed. "That makes no sense."
“So, what did Alpha fight with?” Fido leaned forward, his tail twitching a happy beat on the floor.
“Well, it’s tough to say…” Rangel glanced over as Ten Howls heaved himself to his feet, teeth bared.
“I think I have an idea. It’s the weapons that Iron Talons has been bringing to Scythion, isn’t it? Your race invented them, didn’t they?” Rangel hesitated, and Ten Howls huffed. “That’s what I thought.”
Spade shook his head. “Ten Howls, you have to understand that it’s not something our nation supports—”
“But at the end of the day my people are still being enslaved and dying!” Ten Howls clenched his paws, while a wet snarl bubbled low in his throat. But, after a few moments the tension bled out of him and he slumped. “But, you are right, Spade. The threat that Iron Talons presents must be stopped.”
“Not like we can just stroll up to his front door and ask him to stop,” Diamond said.
Rangel idly dragged a claw through the floor, eyes distant. “Maybe use the back door?” He carved a second line, a crude mountain taking shape in the stone.
“What are you thinking, Rangel?” Spade asked.
“It’s like the fort, Spade,” Rangel said, tail wagging, his claws carving more lines. “We can’t go in the front, so we go in another way. We know he’s stockpiling weapons and the ammunition for them, right? Now, I might be wrong, but wouldn’t a tyrant not be keen on letting his prized weapons be far from his seat of power?”
“Yeah, that’s not a bad assumption…” Spade nodded as what Rangel was getting at came to mind. “But why haven’t you tried that, Ten Howls?”
He growled. “Because only a Stonesinger could dig quickly enough through the stone of their eyries to accomplish something like that, and I couldn’t risk leaving the packs here.”
“Well, now’s different.” Rangel grinned. “Now there are two Stonesingers here.” He scratched more marks in the stone. “We know he’s going to have prisoners, do you remember where the cells were, Ten Howls?”
He nodded, tail starting to wag. “I do, they were here, close to the western slope.” He crouched down, adding a mark to the mountain.
“Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking…” Rangel continued on, gesturing and adding marks to the drawing. The Cards crowded around, making their own remarks and observations. Rover, Fido and Spot chimed in where they could, mostly pointing out where things could go wrong. Ten Howls helped refine the drawing, tracing tunnels and caverns from memory.
And throughout the cave, a small flame of hope grew brighter.