What happens when a group of terrified people end up not in Equestria, but underneath her lands, in the tunnels of Diamond Dog City/States.
What happens when a group of terrified people end up not in Equestria, but underneath her lands, in the tunnels of Diamond Dog City/States. What will happen to several hundred people ripped from their own world and thrust into a new world where they have nothing, not even the clothes on their backs?
Demanded by my wonderful readers as the first side story that I write after finishing the second installment of The Unity Pact series. Idea credit goes to Iron Sky for the concept and impetus. There are some parts which are dark and sad but those are not the main theme here. Reading The Unity Pact and The Unity Pact 2: Shaking Foundations are not strictly mandatory, but highly recommended or else everything will seem out of context.
Slobber Chops, or just 'Chop' to his friends, was a good Diamond Dog. He was in his mind anyway. He was loyal to his family, he was a hard worker, he was as good a friend as he could be, and he had been named Ambassador Of Dogs due to his work with the Unicorn Razor Wit. Most important to him though was his family. Family came first, all Diamond Dogs knew it as a fact. Family was the most important aspect of Diamond Dog life. Family were the group of relatives you were born into and nothing was more important in life than its beginning, birth. It was because of such an important aspect of life that Slobber Chops was packing his meager possessions for a journey. His family was about to increase and as tradition dictated, a minimum of one family member would be present when the pup took its first breath.
He pulled back the cloth which allowed him privacy in his room and stepped out into the small hallway of his home. He was a young Diamond Dog, barely past his twentieth birthday. His fur was longer than that of most Dogs and was a pleasant walnut brown. His paws were clean with fine, dusty soil and his claws were polished to a matte black. He had even taken the time to dust his tail with more the the fine, dusty soil that so many of the 'prettier' Dogs loved to buy. He always thought they used the stuff way too much, but then again, his point of pride was not in modern fashions and trends. His ears were long and floppy, the leather of his ears was fine and velvety, and his jowls had been trimmed to perfection. He had even purchesed one of the newest inventions of his kind, a toothbrush. It was a strange device for keeping your teeth from building up the dark orange and brown stuff that smelled so bad all around your teeth. He had begun brushing his teeth regularly, it was rumored that the Ponies had toothbrushes for hundreds of years, but he never trusted rumors. He would just ask his friend Razor Wit whenever he saw her again.
His thoughts soared at the thought of his Unicorn friend. She had been the first Pony that any Dog could recall who had sought them out to learn about them. Several Dogs from his home city of Pumice Carve had been stealing supplies from the Ponies of Trottingham for quite a while. All the Dogs knew about the thefts and while none of them really liked it, the thefts brought needed supplies to the town. Blankets, glass, shiny metal that was tougher than iron and lighter than bronze, almost everything was useful to the Diamond Dogs. None of the Ponies wanted to trade and none of them were willing to try to learn their language. Before Razor Wit came, if Ponies had come to Pumice Carve, they would have been chased out. If a Diamond Dog had gone to Trottingham, he or she would be chased out or even imprisoned. Diamond Dogs tried not to take prisoners, even if they were trespassing. It felt too much like taking slaves and despite Diamond Dogs not taking slaves anymore, the Ponies still thought they did. Slobber Chops thought it was unfair, but then again the world was not a fair place for Diamond Dogs.
Slobber Chops shook his head to clear his thoughts, 'I need to hurry or else the puppy will be born without a family representative from Pumice Carve present. There could hardly be a stronger show of disapproval than the absense of a family representative from a town.' Even though it was more to show support for the newest addition to the family, having family members from other City/States present was an easy way for news to spread.
He smiled and lolled out his tongue as he set forth from his home toward Gem Fount. It was a five day journey on foot to get to Gem Fount. He hoped he would happen upon another Dog to talk to during the journey. It became terribly lonely making the trip alone. Nevertheless, Chop knew he had to go. His cousin's puppy wasn't due for another week and a half, but it was always a good idea to be early. He could help out around the home and take some of the strain off his cousin in her delicate condition. He could not wait until he had puppies of his own. There were plenty of bitches who wagged their tails in his direction and many of them were quite lovely. Some had the most droopy jowls, other had green eyes which was a rarity among Diamond Dogs, while still others had various spots and patterns in their fur. One even has a nose that was speckled bright pink, an exotic beauty to be sure. Still, Slobber Chops for all of his renown and wealth, had yet to sniff any of their muzzles or necks in any way other than polite greeting.
His nose was reserved for one special bitch out there somewhere. He knew he had not met her yet, but he also knew that he would meet her eventually. He looked forward to that day and his imagination began to indulge itself, 'She'll have the most petite earthy scent. She'll be pretty, but not exotic, perhaps a little plain even. Her mind will be sharp though. THAT'S important. She has to be able to match me with wits... not that it will be very difficult.' He knew he wasn't particularly smart by Dog standards. He had not invented anything special, but his status as a diplomat to Ponies made him famous, 'Even though any Diamond Dog could have done it if they tried.' He was hailed as a genius, but he knew better. He was average at best, he merely had the personality to work with Ponies. It was as simple as that. He didn't want to rob another dog of his ideal bitch, he simply wanted one who would appeal to his mind. Razor Wit had introduced him to riddles and it was on that premise that he determined whether or not a bitch was worth his time. Not a single one had managed to decipher his riddle, but he was not concerned, one would get it eventually.
He loped down the tunnel leading out of Pumice Carve and headed toward the Guard Dog checkpoint. There was one at every tunnel in and out of every City/State. As he walked past the outlying farms which grew the cows and pigs they ate for food, he whistled to the swine and bovine gently, soothing them before they went to slaughter. The smells around the slaughterhouse always made him drool. He wiped his mouth as just the thought made him begin salivating. He had a drooling problem. He had it since the day he was born. It was what had earned him his name. He mentally added an addendum to his list of wants for the bitch of his dreams, 'She also has to like me drooling all over her.' He barked a laugh at his private joke and continued on his way toward Gem Fount and his cousin, Flint Eyes.
On a different world, a very different type of person was having troubles of her own. Ryia Singh pounded down the stairs of her apartment building in the slums of Bangalore, India. Clutched in her right hand was a small duffel bag containing her most valuable possessions. She turned the corner too fast and impacted the wall as she tried to turn. She pushed off the wall and propelled herself down the stairs faster and faster. Her thoughts spun equally as fast, 'Awake for five days waiting for the army to evacuate this part of the city and I just closed my eyes for half a second... eleven hours later I wake up and the army has finished the evacuation!' She made it to the bottom of the stairs and burst through the front door of her building. The streets were empty.
*click*
Ryia looked down and saw a tiny piece of hail on the ground. With dread filling her soul, she cast her eyes skyward, 'The Event! It's HERE!' Without thinking she burst into a sprint heading South, the direction in which the army was evacuating people, 'I'm still alive, there's a chance. There's a chance, there's a chance, there's a chance, there's a chance...' the mantra played over and over in her head as she ran. Her legs began to burn and her lungs pleaded for air. Ryia took in huge gulps of air as she continued her flight down the empty streets. The tall buildings all around her made her feel like an ant, 'Who needs buildings four whole stories tall anyway?' The errant thought strayed through her mind.
She chanced a look upward and her hopes sank, 'NO! It's moving faster than I am!' She pushed her body harder and harder, 'I need to run faster...' she thought about the duffel bag she was carrying, 'Mama, I'm so sorry, but I have to live.' She reluctantly forced her fingers to uncurl from the bag as tears seeped out of her eyes, 'I won't have any pictures of her to remember... but at least I'll be alive.'
*clunk*
A piece of hail the size of an orange struck the ground just in front of her. Ryia stumbled in shock and tumbled onto the roadway in a panting heap. As she tried to catch her breath, she turned her head toward the piece of hail. The hailstone was huge. In the silence, she could hear others also running down nearby streets, 'Did the army just abandon people here to die?' She wondered. She tried to break back into a run again, but her body wouldn't allow her to. She couldn't even rise to her feet, 'I'm too tired... no... NO! I'M NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!' Her muscles cramped as she willed her body to obey. She struggled up to her knees as people began running past her down the street. Men and women ran as if their lives depended on it, everybody knew The Event would vaporize anybody who was left in the storm. The sick, the elderly, and the children had been evacuated first and the adults had been told they would be next. Most had made it to the trucks, some had missed them. Those who missed the trucks were left to their deaths.
A sound like crashing ocean waves reached Ryia's ears, causing her to look behind herself. A wall of hail was quickly closing in on her. The crowd cleared and Ryia was shown a sight which made her blood run cold. The wall of hail was half a second behind a group of people, but as fast as they ran, The Event was faster. As Ryia watched in horror, the people were overcome by the storm. They were pelted with hail a few times and then...
They vanished.
Ryia screamed and found her strength renewed. She struggled up to her feet and turned to run when another young woman barreled into her. Ryia kept her balance by some miracle but the other young woman rolled over onto the ground with a pained cry, holding her ankle.
Ryia was a metallurgical student, not a doctor or an athlete, but she was not about to let the other girl suffer the same fate as she had seen. She bent down and grasped the girl's arm tightly, "COME ON!" She yelled. The girl stumbled to her feet, her ankle already swelling severely. Ryia put her arm around the girl's waist and hauled her along as quickly as she could. As they hobbled away from The Event, Ryia chanced another look behind her. The Event was closing fast, less than thirty meters away.
Hail began to pummel the ground in larger and larger pieces falling all around them. Ryia didn't know the size of the piece that hit the other girl, but the sickening crunch of breaking bones told her of the hit even before the girl screamed. The other girl suddenly went limp in Ryia's arms and pulled her to the ground. Without consciously making the decision, Ryia spun her body and shielded the other girl with her own body. Hailstones of all sizes pelted her back and shoulders as she held the injured girl close to her body. She chanced another look over her shoulder even as another ball of ice slammed into her ribs with a spike of agony. The Event was less than a meter away. Ryia turned her head and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry."
It was the last thing she said before The Event reached her.
Ryia awoke to the sound of hundreds of screaming voices. Her body registered two things instantly. She was in a place with no light. She was kneeling down with her hands on the ground, naked on what felt like another person, 'The girl who fell.' she realized. Her left side was already pressed against what felt like a stone wall. Somebody stepped on her right hand in the pitch black darkness. She cried out, her voice lost among the cacophony. She pulled her hand toward her body, tripping the person who had stepped on her. The person fell onto Ryia, crushing her breasts against her ribs, and flailed around as the mass of voices surged close by. She again wrapped her arms around the other girl and tried to shield her. People all around pushed and shoved, voices frantic with blind panic. Ryia could only hope she and the unnamed girl beneath her survived whatever was happening.
Ryia had not expected to wake up at all. Everybody 'knew' that being caught in The Event was lethal. It had appeared a month before it had come to India. The Event was a hurricane like storm, but it did things far more terrible than a normal hurricane ever could. It had first hit the Eastern coast of the United States where it had vaporized nearly eight hundred people. Since that tragedy, every nation in the world had been tracking the killer storm. The problem was that it disappeared then reappeared at random times, always just off the coast of a country. The United States had been the first country hit, but it was far from the last. The Event had disappeared then reappeared just off the coast of South America where it had killed even more people. After it hit South America, it disappeared again only to reappear just to the North of India. Scientists were puzzled as to why The Event behaved in such a way. Ryia's mind did not have the chance to dwell on the thought though. People surged in her direction and pushed her left side forcefully into the rough wall she was already touching. Ryia screamed and tried to push the people off her. The press was so bad that she couldn't breathe, another person's body was pushed up against her so hard that she could not take a breath, even through her open mouth. In desperation, she bit down as hard as she could on the flesh suffocating her.
A man's voice screamed in fear and pain, but the pressure did not lessen. Ryia bit down again and again, tasting coppery blood in her mouth, her body crying out for air and her mind fearing for the injured girl beneath her. The pressure finally let off and Ryia gulped down breath after breath of air, gasping and panting.
She suddenly saw stars as a fleshy appendage struck her face. She covered her head with her arms and curled up into a little ball, screaming for the person to stop.
* * *
Diamond Tooth was the highest ranking Guard Dog in Gem Fount. He was a sturdy Diamond Dog with tough, corded muscles and keen senses. He was calm and intelligent, by Diamond Dog standards. He thought about the repercussions of his actions and what repercussions the repercussions could have. He saw the world as dominoes poised to fall by the effect of any action. He could see the waves of cause and effect and the longer term effects on others. What truly made him stand out though was the fact that he loved. He loved his City/State, he loved his Guard Dogs, and he loved all Diamond Dogs who dwelt within the massive subterranean cavern of his home.
If a puppy got lost in the tunnels before they were collapsed, he would lead the search party himself. If two Dogs got into a physical altercation, which was a frequent occurrence, he would step in and break it up himself. He was not the sort to give orders then sit back and expect results. He was the 'take charge and lead from the front' type. He rarely had to train his Guard Dogs because he was the example for them to follow and emulate. He would often ask them questions on how to handle a situation. He did not train his Guard Dogs, he groomed them to replace himself. His biggest wish and goal was to retire and to then have the Guard Dogs be able to operate individually and independently without a commanding Dog managing their every move. A saying had sprung up during his time as commanding officer: 'What Would Diamond Do'. His parents had high hopes for him when he was born, naming a Diamond Dog puppy Diamond had been an arrogant and unpopular decision. Diamond Tooth had many difficulties growing up with the name, but his difficulties had made him a stern leader and a stalwart Guard Dog.
He was not perfect by any means, he had made plenty of mistakes. He had once tried to separate a bitch and a dog who were fighting and barking in the open streets. He had been new to the Guard Dogs and thought he knew better than his commander, who had told him to ignore the spectacle. The two combatants had both turned on him. He later found out that they had a habit of fighting in the streets and that their neighbors often bet on who would win the fights. The couple were harmless, unless you tried to break them up, then YOU became their target. Diamond had learned from the experience and had also ensured that his Guard Dogs learned the same so they would not have to make the same mistake.
Diamond Tooth plodded along his predetermined patrol route with two other Guard Dogs. His command always divided up into groups of three for their patrols and with new Guard Dogs as often as possible. His predecessor had always kept the groups the same for cohesion; Diamond Tooth worked differently. His belief was that if Guard Dogs always worked with random partners, they would be much more acclimated to communicating and coordinating with unfamiliar Guards, which in turn would facilitate each individual being more self sufficient if divided and more willing to do their part when called for. Set partners ensured that a single Dog would become the dominant one, the leader, while Diamond Tooth's 'mixed pack' idea gave all the Guard Dogs a chance to learn how to lead since a new team lead was selected every night. It forced flexibility and required the Guard Dogs to think on the go.
"Hey Tooth," one of Diamond Tooth's partners addressed, "Do you hear something?"
Diamond Tooth always preferred to be called by his second name and his Guard Dogs were more than happy to comply. The one who had addressed him was Carrion Hound. Carrion Hound, or just Carri as he preferred to be called, had the most keen ears of the Patrol Pack. He was a mature dog of eighty-four years but was still in his prime, since Diamond Dogs tended to live even longer than Ponies. Their longer lives lead them to also propagate faster and more frequently than Ponies. Then again the Diamond Dogs needed a higher birth rate because of the mortality rate of their lives. While Diamond Dogs COULD live longer than Ponies, that did not mean that they often did. Disease, famine, violent conflict, and their lack of medicinal knowledge meant that most Diamond Dogs did not live past seventy and those who did were to be treated with respect and listened to. Which lead to the reason why Diamond Tooth immediately stopped walking and perked up his ears when the older dog spoke.
Diamond Tooth closed his eyes and began singling and and tuning out all other sounds. The voices of other Diamond Dogs slowly became background noise. The tromp and scrape of claws against stone faded away into oblivion. The yapping of puppies and their laughter quieted down to a whisper. There, in the background of the city was the sound. Diamond Tooth strained his ears to clarify the sound, 'Voices?' His eyes snapped open, "Voices." He said quietly. His perked ears twitched and rotated like a pair of satellite antennas, trying to home in on the direction of the sound.
A new smell suddenly filled his nose. It stunk powerfully of fear and sweat. The scent nearly overpowered every other smell. Diamond Dogs did not normally smell anything like that, 'We smell of good, clean dirt and soil and meat. This scent... smells like... I don't know what. Still, puppies do tend to wander into the old tunnels.'
Wasting not a moment, Diamond Tooth raised his bronze whistle to his lips and blew a series of three quick chirps. He gave a two second pause before emitting another trio of chirping whistles. He repeated the sound for a full minute before he stopped. His Guard Dogs came running as though their tails were on fire. Tooth had long before established the codes for whistles. Three quick chirps with two seconds in between meant that the one blowing the whistle needed backup as soon as possible for an emergency.
Less than five minutes after Tooth finished blowing on his whistle, his entire command was present. It was an excellent response time, however he did not have time to congratulate his Guard Dogs the way they deserved, "There is a noise coming from one of the tunnels on the Eastern side of the city. Maybe some puppies got lost in a tunnel. I need three runners to report back to Governor Scar Nose and five more to accompany my Patrol Pack to investigate. This could be puppies or it could be something different. I will send runners as I can spare them. The rest of you return to your patrols, but be ready to come if you hear the whistle."
Three Guard Dogs took off toward Governor Scar Nose's home without being selected. Five more raised their paws into the air as volunteers. Diamond Tooth smiled inside, 'My Guard Dogs are the best in the world. There's nothing we can't handle.'
He had no idea exactly how much testing his Guard Dogs would have to endure soon.
The yelling and screaming seemed to go on for eternity. Ryia did not dare move. The person who was hitting her had stopped at some point but had also stayed away since then. She did not know how badly she had been beaten, but the fiery burn of pain had faded to severe stinging. She knew she had a bloody lip but beyond that was anyone's guess. The girl whom she had been shielding with her body had not stirred one bit and Ryia did not even know if she was alive at all. Ryia had lost all sense of time. Her whole world revolved around keeping her head protected and the terrible swirl of her thoughts, 'Were the Christians right? Is this Hell?' The tiny bit of her mind that still functioned rationally argued against the idea, 'It doesn't fit. The Christians claim that Hell is a lake of fire where monsters torture you forever. This doesn't feel like that. Perhaps the ground collapsed and we're under the Earth in a cave.' That thought was nearly as terrifying as the thought of being in Hell, 'We'll all die of thirst down here and nobody will ever find us.'
Her thoughts were shattered as a deep howl echoed out of the darkness behind her. The chilling sound echoed through the room, 'Oh no! We ARE in Hell! The monsters are coming for us!'
* * *
Tooth raised his head and howled the call that all puppies were taught. It was a common thing for puppies to get lost in the old tunnels before they were collapsed and the Diamond Dogs knew to prepare for it. The howl was warm and friendly. It was a call associated with home and family. It was a howl used by bitches to call their puppies home from play. It was something to be answered quickly. The riotous noise died down to whispers and no return howl came from the tunnels. Tooth and his Guard Dogs were confused, 'It can't be puppies. Puppies would have howled back. What else could it be?'
Tooth had a sinking feeling in his stomach, 'Something is wrong.' He turned his head and spoke to his Guard Dogs, "Follow me and keep your eyes, ears, and noses open. Something isn't right." His right paw gripped the bronze mace hanging from his belt, 'I hope I don't have to use this.'
* * *
Ryia heard a deep voice speaking out of the inky blackness in some fell tongue. It was the most hideous, evil thing she had ever heard and it sounded like it was close behind her. She clenched her eyes shut and wrapped her hands over her head, 'Go away! Just go away!' Hot fearful tears streamed down her stinging face, 'Leave me alone! Vishnu, I call upon you, have mercy! Save your people!'
A scraping sound came from behind her and the terrible voice spoke again, louder now. The people had moved away from Ryia at the sound of the voice. She heard a clicking sound and saw tiny sparks of light throw deep shadows from behind her. The clicking continued for a few moments, 'Why would a monster need light to see?'
* * *
To say that Tooth was puzzled would have been a drastic understatement. He was numb with shock, 'There must be hundreds of them.' His eyes had easily grown accustomed to the darkness of the tunnels, the minuscule amount of light thrown off by the luminescent moss way back in Gem Fount was enough for he and his Guard Dogs to see. All Diamond Dogs had keen eyes and moving about with little to no light was not a foreign concept to them.
Tooth had led his Guard Dogs to the source of the noises and was confused almost beyond reason, 'What are these things?' The creatures, and there were hundreds of them in the old meeting chamber, were all hideous. They slightly resembled proper Diamond Dogs in the shapes of their bodies, but their proportions were all wrong. They had no paw claws or foot paw claws, their bodies were pinkish and they had no fur save for their heads and crotches. Their legs were too long, their arms were too short, their torsos were too thin and short, and their limbs were lanky as if they were malnourished, 'What are these monsters?' he wondered silently. Tooth could not see any proper jowls, no claws, nothing right about them. With them lacking any sort of muzzle they reminded him of skeletons bearing their teeth. It was a frightening thought, nevertheless his mind stayed keen, 'They may be monsters but they have not attacked. Why?' a look closer at their eyes told him what he needed to know, 'They're... frightened?'
An errant thought occurred to Tooth, 'They're all looking over to the chamber wall, not directly at us...' the truth struck him quickly, 'They can't see!' He turned his head and looked back to his Guard Dogs, "These creatures aren't puppies." The obvious statement caused more than a few snickers, "I don't think they can see, that's probably why they're making so much noise. Let's give them some light and maybe then we can find out why they're trespassing."
Tooth reached for his leather belt and withdrew a pair of flints from one of the leather pouches hanging there. Rot Nose, one of the younger Guard Dogs and son of Governor Scar Nose, handed Diamond Tooth a small oil lamp. Diamond Dogs often had need of oil lamps. They provided light during the day and helped the moss collect light to shine at night. Day and night were subjective to Diamond Dogs. They did not often venture above ground for any reason. Why would they? They had all they needed down in their tunnels and cities. Obviously at some point in the distant past some Diamond Dogs had gone to the surface to catch cows and pigs and chickens to breed and eat, but there had been no real need to do so for ages beyond count.
In general, Diamond Dogs were quite happy to ignore and be ignored by the rest of the world. There were tales of a distant City/State having a trade agreement with Ponies, but Diamond Tooth could not bring himself to believe them. He knew, all Diamond Dogs knew, that Ponies despised them. The other races hated Diamond Dogs because of the legends. Tooth had heard them all before. The stories of his ancestors going to the surface to capture and enslave Ponies and other races for labor. He did not believe the stories. He always asked why: why would Diamond Dogs enslave other races to dig? It made no sense. No other race could dig as well as Diamond Dogs, it would slow the process down to a crawl. Those same legends told of supposedly mighty Diamond Dog warriors fighting with their claws and teeth, tearing enemies apart. The very notion disgusted him.
All puppies knew that their claws and teeth were gifts only to be used for natural purposes. Hunting, eating, and digging were all fine, but killing a self-aware being? The very idea was repulsive. To taste the blood of another thinking being was nauseating. To forever stain one's beautiful claws with the blood of an intelligent creature was a thing of nightmare. Tooth admitted that it MIGHT have happened far back in history before Diamond Dogs became civilized, but the thought was beyond repulsive to modern dogs and bitches.
Rot Nose handed the oil lamp to Diamond Tooth and the commander set it on the ground. He knelt down and struck the flints together to light the lamp. Little sparks danced in the darkness, too bright for the Dogs to look directly at comfortably. They shielded their eyes and backed away from the sudden brilliance. Tooth finally managed to light the lamp. The sparks caught on the oil soaked wick and he quickly grasped the handle while his eyes attempted to adjust to the sudden glaring brilliance.
* * *
Ryia saw the light flicker to life and could not stop herself from turning her head over her right shoulder. The thing she saw made her eyes widen in horror beyond horror. A creature out of ancient legends and tales stood not five meters from her naked back. It was crouched down and at first looked like a person wearing thick furs and skins. It raised its inhuman head and Ryia's blood ran cold. It had the most hideous, monstrous face she had ever seen. Two beady eyes reflected the light from behind a deep, sloping forehead. It had droopy ears and long jowls like a bulldog. Wickedly curved fangs poked out from its muzzle. It resembled a rabid, mutant hyena.
The monster slowly rose to a standing position. Its long arms ending in terrible black claws that hung down almost to its feet. Its legs were short and stubby but its feet shared the same claws as its hands. Ryia recalled legends of similar monsters from her childhood. The name of the beast ripped itself from her throat in a terrified scream. It did not look exactly like what she had heard, there were some differences, but there was only one thing it could be, "RAKSHASAAAAAAA!"
As the word left her throat, the Rakshasa turned and looked right at her. Ryia could hear people screaming and running all over the place trying to get away from the man-eating beast. The thing tromped toward her, its claws and fangs glistening in the light of the lamp it held. A fist-sized rock suddenly flew out of the darkness and struck the monster right on the tip of its muzzle.
The beast recoiled and dropped the lamp as both its paws went to its muzzle. The lamp shattered on the ground and the small flame eagerly leaped onto the spreading oil on the stone floor. The oil on the ground caught fire, sending flickering shadows all around the cavern. It was like a scene out of Ryia's most horrible nightmares. Snarls and growls erupted from behind the first creature and seven more beasts stepped out from behind the first one. They snarled and barked harshly at the people who were trying so desperately to get away. They crouched down and leaped forward into the darkness beyond Ryia's vision. The terrified screaming reached a crescendo, followed by more terrible howls and the poor young woman could only imagine how the other Rakshasa were tearing the other people apart. Her heart beat out a heavy rhythm in her chest as the first creature let go of its bloody muzzle and gazed at her. Ryia's breath came in short, ragged gasps as she faced down her death. Vishnu's mercy seemed to descend on her like a cloak and she fainted dead away as the thing reached for her.
Ryia slowly returned to the waking world. The first things to register to her mind were the sounds. She could hear sobbing, groaning, and hushed voices speaking with quick, frightened words. The second sense to register was smell. The scents of urine, feces, and unwashed bodies mingled with the stench of blood. It was nauseating. She slowly cracked her eyes open and saw a roughly carved, gray stone ceiling some two meters above her face. The ceiling was crawling with colorless moss which seemed to imitate a small amount of light. The light was dim, but it was enough to see colors clearly. Ryia blinked blearily and raised her hands to rub at her eyes. She quickly stopped when she saw her hands. Her fingers and palms were liberally coated with oily grit and some small amounts of blood. She blinked in confusion, 'What?'
A loud clang from her left caught her attention. She turned her head toward the noise and her mind made sense of what her eyes discovered. She was lying on her back with her right side close to the back wall of what looked like a large, old fashioned jail cell. The right wall of the cell was composed of what appeared to be solid rock, as if it were carved straight out of a single colossal boulder. The left wall was revealed to be all but identical to the right wall. The front of the cell was covered with thick bars and a single door was set into the bars. Beyond the door was a hallway leading off to the left and right where she assumed other cells container more people. Scraping sounds alerted Ryia to the proximity of movement within the cell. Her eyes caught sight of nearly ten other people in the cell with her.
The others, except for a girl lying near Ryia's feet, were already awake and staring nervously at the cell's door. Ryia noticed that every one of the other people in the cell with her were women and that they were all naked. The fact that she was naked was shocking in the utmost. It set her thoughts spinning wildly, 'We're naked! Why are we naked? Why did the Rakshasa take our clothes and leave us alive?' She also realized that all the other women looked to be between the ages of sixteen and thirty-five.
Her mind began conjuring horrifying thoughts and images of what might be in store for she and the others. She had heard the stories about how the terrorist group ISIS had taken over different territories and what they had done to the women and girls they captured. Girls as young as ten years old were given away as property to older men as 'wives' and all captured women of child-bearing age were given the same treatment. Older women were simply murdered outright. It was not difficult to imagine what happened after the girls were given away as sex slaves.
Ryia suddenly remembered the Rakshasa she had seen reaching for her before she passed out. The recent thoughts of the horrors of the terrorists perpetrated mixed with her memories of the Rakshasa caused Ryia to shake with fear. Her thought swirled in terrible circles of what might happen to her and the others. The legends of Rakshasa told of them being heartless beasts who feasted on Human flesh. There was supposed to be no end to their depravity. A sharp bark jarred her out of her thoughts and brought her back to her present situation.
Following her ears, she looked toward the cell door. There stood one of the Rakshasa looking around at her and the other women. Ryia pushed herself onto her feet and grabbed the cold arms of the girl who still had not awoken. She hauled the girl over to the other women huddled against the right wall. Some instinct told her that there was safety to be had with others and she obeyed that part of her mind without a thought. A pair of arms from behind Ryia grasped her sides just under her arms, holding tightly onto her.
The Rakshasa at the door of the cell turned its head to the side and growled in a guttural language. Shuffling sounds echoed down the hallway in front of the cell door. Four more of the creatures came loping down the hallway and into the women's line of sight. The Rakshasa by the door removed a set of keys from its belt and jammed one into the cell door. The lock squeaked and clicked ominously. The monstrous beast pushed the door open and the four behind it entered the cell.
The women huddled as far against the wall as they could, fear coursing through the veins of every one of them. Ryia was on the side closest to the Rakshasa and she pushed ever farther into the arms holding her, as the beasts crept closer. She picked out details from each one despite wanting nothing more than to be as far away from them as she could be. She realized that their legs were almost comically short compared to their arms and as opposed to the reverse knee joints she was expecting to see on a canine like creature, the Rakshasa had knees similar to that of a person. It also seemed odd that the Rakshasa were wearing clothes yet they had thick fur coats. There was one thing that really grabbed her attention though. The Rakshasa not only wore clothes, but also had belts. On those belts hung what looked like weapons. One had a mace, one had what appeared to be a small axe, one had what could only have been a stout club, and the fourth had a long knife. All the weapons were made of bronze, iron, or wood. Ryia did not have time to ponder the crudity of the weapons though.
Instead of reaching for the women, the Rakshasa knelt down and grabbed the unconscious girl on the floor. Before her mind even registered what she was doing, Ryia realized that she had thrown herself bodily forward, away from the arms holding her and toward the four Rakshasa. To Ryia's infinite surprise, the four beasts quickly backed away. They snarled and barked harshly at her, but they had indeed backed away. Ryia did not have time to think about what their response could have meant. She screamed at them flailing her arms wildly trying to frighten them away from the girl on the floor. As quickly as she could, she grabbed the cold girl under her arms and pulled her close. She backed up with the other women behind her and yelled at the four Rakshasa, "You're not getting any of us! Get out of here!"
The four that had backed away from Ryia all turned and looked toward the one who was still holding the cell door. It was like they were looking for guidance. The one holding the door growled and barked several commands while gesturing to the women. The four Rakshasa in the cell slowly crept forward, toward the women.
Ryia held onto the girl and leaned her head over the girl's shoulder glaring at the creatures. The Rakshasa did not back away though. As they got close enough, two of them reached out and grabbed the unconscious girl's legs with their freakishly long arms.
Ryia struggled to turn the girl away, but her arms were no match for the strength of the Rakshasa, "No!" She grunted through gritted teeth as the girl began to slip from her grasp. Ryia felt the hands of the other women on her shoulders and waist. The other women were pulling her toward the rest of their group. The Rakshasa pulled harder and the cold, unmoving girl slipped further out of Ryia's fingers.
Ryia suddenly froze as it clicked to her, 'Cold?' As soon as she registered the thought, she slackened her grip and the Rakshasa pulled the girl from her hands. The other women yelled and screamed at the retreating forms of the monsters, but Ryia's voice was not among them. Her focus had turned inward, 'Cold.' Ryia looked at her hands and clutched them to her chest, 'She was cold. She...' Ryia bit her lower lip, eyes watering as the truth sunk in, 'She was dead.'
* * *
Diamond Tooth closed the cell door, quickly locking it before following his Guard Dogs back through the hallway and into the side room where the doctor was waiting. He hated doing what he had just ordered his Guard Dogs to do. The fear in the eyes of the creatures could not be argued, but he had his orders. Doctors were extremely rare among Diamond Dogs and ones that did exist were to be obeyed by all in matters of health. The doctor had ordered that the most injured creatures be taken from the cells and brought to the room he had taken for himself. Diamond Tooth had tried to persuade the doctor to go into the cells so the creatures could see what he did and have a chance to cooperate. The doctor had ignored Tooth's suggestion and Tooth had not been surprised. He knew the doctor very well and the older dog always thought he was right. There was no convincing him otherwise. The tiny bit of knowledge of a Diamond Dog doctor was pitiful compared to those of other species, but he was the best one available.
Diamond Tooth followed behind his Guard Dogs as they carefully carried the creature into the side room and laid it out on the mat that the doctor had set out. Tooth was fairly sure the creature was dead, the one he had carried back to the cell had been warm. He fervently hoped his Guard Dogs would be able to find all the creatures. The trespassers had ran screaming throughout the old tunnels and his Guard Dogs were sniffing them out.
The doctor waiting in the room was an older dog, almost completely grey through his coat, but his mind was still sharp enough for the job. He laid out his red clay jar of maggots, his jar clay of leeches, his huge assortment of herbs and poultices, and his surgery tools all against the furthest wall. He knelt down next to the creature as the Guard Dogs backed away bowing. Diamond Tooth watched with interest as the doctor worked.
The old dog reached out with his paw pads and touched the bottoms of the creature's feet. He stopped as soon as his sensitive paws touched its skin. He grumbled and turned his head toward Diamond Tooth, "When you were bringing them back here from the tunnels, you had to touch them right? Were they warm?"
Diamond Tooth nodded, "Slightly cooler than we are, but yes they were." His brows furrowed in concern, "It's dead... isn't it."
The doctor huffed through his jowls making them billow outward like curtains in the wind, "Well after the beating your Dogs gave it, I suppose I would be dead too."
Tooth snarled down at the elder doctor, "My Guard Dogs did not beat these... these things!"
The doctor snarled right back, bearing his teeth, "This one is dead!" The doctor lowered his jowls, "I cannot say with certainty what killed it though. This creatures is covered with bruises, that much I see, but I am examining a being like none I have seen before. I need a live one to compare it to. To think that I can help these creatures the same way I do Diamond Dogs is ignorant. It would be like saying that a Kavim doctor could help a Diamond Dog the same way I do."
The doctor shook out his top half letting out a growl while doing so, "Bah, this is useless. Your Guard Dogs cannot simply throw around injured creatures they know nothing about." The doctor pointedly ignored the whines of the nearby Guard Dogs, "Let me gather up my things then take me to the cells where the injured ones are. I don't want them moved."
Diamond Tooth pointedly ignored the fact that the doctor has just ordered the same thing he had already suggested. Instead he gestured to the dead creature, "What do you want me to do with this one? The live ones are my responsibility. Once they Pass Through The Veil to the Place Beyond Places, the decision is no longer mine."
The doctor hummed as he packed away his tools, "My examination is over for now Tooth so we may speak more personally. Take it back to the ones it was with before. Maybe we can see how they deal with their dead. This one Passed Through The Veil under your watch. Governor Scar Nose will not be happy when you tell him. If these creatures came from another land, another nation we know nothing about, it could mean trouble. You know as well as I do how much we are hated."
Diamond Tooth lowered his ears, "I did my best, Father. What more could we have done?"
His Father, Long Tooth, sighed through his nose, "Everything. Had you left them in the tunnels, blind as they were... they would probably all have Passed Through The Veil in a few days, which would have been your fault. Since you intervened there is no way we can claim ignorance in this. If their nation comes looking for them... well that would be your fault too." Long Tooth straightened up, "Lead on, commander." he spat the word like a bitter taste, "Let us ensure that no more of these creatures Pass Through The Veil on my watch."
Slobber Chops raised his nose and sniffed at the scent flowing through the tunnel. He knew he was close to Gem Fount. There was always a distinctive smell to the place. It reminded him of why he was there and he quickened his pace. One never knew when a puppy would come early, or late for that matter. He had encountered only two other Diamond Dogs on his trek and they were traveling together from Gem Fount to Pumice Carve so he only sniffed them as a courtesy in passing.
Up ahead, he saw the dim glow which signified he was about to enter Gem Fount. He pulled his bag off his shoulder and held it in his claws, ready for the Guard Dogs of Gem Fount to sniff and search through his things. Guard Dogs always sniffed and searched through everything that came to and from their City/States. They had to check for things like the Amberdine Flowers that stole puppies' breath, or Tartolette Mushrooms that could make a dog's nose lie to him. They had to be careful and Slobber Chops respected that.
He continued padding along at his brisk pace, and just at the mouth of the cavern which held the City/State. The gravel around Slobber Chops suddenly shot upward in a small hail of pebbles and dust. Slobber Chops stopped in place and waited patiently. When the dust cleared four Guard Dogs were standing in a half-circle around him. The Guard Dogs of Gem Fount were rumored to be the best of any City/State, but Slobber Chops never really thought about it. To him one Guard Dog was just like any other and as long as they did their jobs, he left them alone unless he needed them.
The four Guard Dogs all wore slate grey belted tunics which hung down to the bottoms of their ribs. Below the tunics they wore nothing, they did not need it. Diamond Dogs, like every other sapient being in their world, had a web of muscles, flesh, and fur which covered their genitals. The Pelvic Curtain certainly had its uses in the way of modesty.
The Guard Dogs wore dull bronze plates over their tunics, arms, legs and waists. They hefted bronze-tipped spears and bronze shields. Chop was glad to see the bronze armor and weapons. It was a reminder of the recent advancements his people had made with metals and his chest swelled with pride. In deference to the Guard Dogs, Slobber Chops set down his bag, stepped back and sat down on the pebbly ground. Two of the Guard Dogs sniffed his bag before they opened it and pawed through his possessions while one of the other two approached him and began sniffing his muzzle and neck. With Guard Dogs it was both a polite greeting and a search. The Guard Dog who sniffed him was very thorough. He politely sniffed Chop's muzzle and neck first, then he began sniffing his back, stomach, groin, tail, and ended with sniffing his paws and foot paws. Chop did not mind at all. The Guard Dog was doing his job.
Chop remembered how his friend Razor Wit had reacted when he deemed the two of them close enough friends to sniff her. 'One only sniffed another as a greeting between Diamond Dogs or between close friends, if the friend was of a different species.' The final part of that slowly spreading rule had been written by Slobber Chops himself after some prompting from Razor Wit. She had gasped and blushed the first time he had sniffed her. Chop had not understood the blush at all. It was not as if he had licked her ears or muzzle to arouse her. He had not put his neck over hers, he had not nipped at her haunches, he had not done anything to warrant the blush. She never had explained why she blushed, but she did say sniffing another as he had done was probably not a good idea unless they were a very close friend.
Chop still did not understand the Kavim. They were all smarter than Diamond Dogs, they were more advanced, they had so much more knowledge and they had magic, yet they had not discovered the intimate, yet polite nuances of sniffing as a greeting. Razor had not bothered to explain why it was inappropriate, but apparently it was to the Kavim.
Chop returned from his mental vacation when the Guard Dogs offered him a friendly paw to help him stand up. Chop was capable of doing so on his own, it was such an easy thing, but the offer was a demonstration of service due to the Guard Dogs' station. Chop took the offered paw and the Guard Dog helped him up then handed him his bag. The last Guard Dog had yet to do anything except retrieve a slate and a piece of chalk which he held in front of him, "State your name, any titles you hold, and the City/State you hail from."
Chop had always thought it was a good idea to search and sniff before knowing the name of the one who was being checked. He did not know why he thought it was a good idea, it just seemed right, "Slobber Chops, Ambassador of Dogs. I hail from Pumice Carve."
The four Guard Dogs all snapped their heads toward him. The one who had been writing stopped instantly, "Ambassador? You're the one who speaks to the Kavim?"
Chop bobbed his head and scratched the side of his muzzle in embarrassment. He did not much like attention, "I am. I speak Velensovth."
"So you have been above the shelter of the soil? You have seen the sun, the moon, and the infinite sky?" The Guard asked.
Chop scratched both sides of his muzzle. The situation was embarrassing and he did not like talking about it very much. It felt too much like bragging, "The sun makes the above world hot in the day and the moon half freezes it at night. The sky IS infinite and looking at it is like staring into The Place Beyond Places."
The Guard Dogs shuddered at the reference, "We need your wisdom, Ambassador Of Dogs. In our tunnels, we found many strange, thin, pink creatures. They speak another tongue, none of them speak Dirgeth. You learned the language of the Kavim. You can learn the language of these creatures."
Chop whined in his throat, "My cousin is having a puppy in a few days and I don't have the writings I need to learn the language..."
The Guard Dog who had sniffed Chop stepped up to him and stomped his right foot paw twice on the gravel, "Give me something with your scent. I will fetch your writings from your home while you go to your family here."
Chop was torn. On the one paw he was likely the only Diamond Dog in Gem Fount with any experience dealing with another species. On the other paw he was here for his family and they might need his help. He was well and truly upset. Family mattered more than anything, but if there was no common language with the creatures there could be many problems for all Diamond Dogs, 'The world knows us as savages. If we made a mistake, all other species could war against us and we are too few. We cannot match the might of the Kavim and we could not stand against any of the other species either.' Chop turned his head to the right and nipped at his own shoulder as punishment for what he was about to do, "I will help with the creatures."
* * *
Ryia sat silently in the corner of the cell with her knees pulled up to her chest and rocking back and forth on her hips. The other women had tried to comfort her, but there was only so much they could do. Ryia had been quiet ever since the Rakshasa had taken the body of the girl from their cell. Ryia had managed to explain that the girl was already dead before she had lapsed into silence. In truth she had turned her thoughts toward nothing. She wanted to escape the dark prison cell. She wanted to just go away and never return.
The other women were in no better shape. Some paced back and forth in the cell, some wept quietly, fearful of what the future held, and one of the women who looked to be in her late thirties was poking around the edges of the bars.
Ryia watched as the woman pressed her fingers against where the bars met the stone, 'What are we going to do? What CAN we do?' She closed her eyes and set her forehead against her knees, 'They're going to eat us, or...' she shuddered trying not to cry.
A meaty thump caught her attention. Ryia looked up following the sound. The woman examining the bars had punched the wall in frustration, but then went back to examining the bars. Ryia found herself drawn by the persistence demonstrated by the other woman. She watched as the woman turned and looked at the others. Her face shown brief pity before a sneer creased her lips. She turned back to the bars muttering something about, 'not accepting her death' and continued poking around at the bars.
Ryia turned the statement in on herself, 'Is that what I'm doing? Am I just giving up? Accepting my own death?' Her thoughts hardened as she thought back to the girl she had tried to save, 'I helped her for nothing before The Event reached us. She would have died anyway...' she looked back up at the older woman, 'But if she's not giving up then neither am I.' It was the tiniest of hopes, but it was better than nothing. Ryia slowly unfolded her knees and stood up. She quietly walked over to the other woman and peered over her shoulder, "Did you find a way out?"
The woman shook her head but kept her eyes on the bars, "Not yet."
Ryia decided that if there was a way out, at least two people should be looking, "I'm Ryia."
The other woman kept rubbing around the inserts where the stone met the iron, "Veera." She replied quietly, "What were you doing down in the slums Ryia? You look more like a college kid than a slum rat."
Ryia rubbed her hand through her long brown hair, "I had to go home when the evacuation started. Apparently they didn't care who you were trying to become, only where you came from. I got home but my Father and brother weren't there. I packed up a few things and decided to wait. After five days I fell asleep. When I woke up the evacuation was already over and I got caught by The Event."
Veera sighed in disgust, "They never evacuated the slums." She spat, "They only evacuated the 'better' parts of the city and left everybody else to die. Most made it out on their own, but some of us either fell asleep," she shot Ryia a smirk, "Or were stupid enough to believe that our own country actually cared about us and waited." Veera slammed her clenched fist into the stone wall a second time, "I should have known better."
A metallic clang from down the hallway caught the attention of both women, "I sure hope this is dinner." Veera said as plodding steps echoed down the hallway.
Ryia stepped back with her hands covering her breasts, "I just hope WE'RE not dinner."
Veera smirked at Ryia, "Morbid. I'm going to hide in one of the corners they can't see. If I get a chance, I'm making a break for it." She walked toward the far left forward corner, "They were sloppy earlier. They sent four in here and only kept one at the door. If we divided up into groups and moved around it might confuse these things, might cause them to make a mistake that we can use."
Ryia was shocked at the brazen idea, "Who are you?" She blinked and sighed, "Well who WERE you?"
Veera crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, "Tell you later Ryia. They're coming."
The other women moved into a single group as far away from the cell door as they could, but Ryia stood apart from them, 'Veera is right. If we're going to get out of here we have to work together.' Her will all but completely evaporated when she saw the Rakshasa come into view. Her determination flew away on the wind when she saw the Rakshasa carrying the body of the dead girl from earlier.
Ryia blinked away tears as she stared at the body, 'I couldn't save her... I didn't even know her name. Why are they bringing her back in here?'
The Rakshasa opened the cell door and the four that had taken the body brought it back in. Ryia backed up against the wall behind her. Her fear had all but vanished once she Rakshasa had left earlier but seeing them again brought it all back. The one holding the cell door moved and Ryia caught the motion, 'He moved his head toward the others, but he can't see Veera from where he is.' As she watched, the Rakshasa's brow creased as it stared at the other women. Ryia caught the motion, 'If it were a Human, I would say it looked puzzled. Like it knew that Veera was missing... oh Vishnu, it DOES know...' Ryia forced down her panic, 'Come on, think, think...' inspiration struck her but it brought a potential danged with it. Ryia quickly decided it was worth the risk.
"Can you understand me?" She asked loudly.
The Rakshasa all turned to look at her. Their beady eyes felt like they were sizing her up for a meal, "If you can understand me, I'm going to go home now."
None of the Rakshasa moved an inch, "Well it looks like you don't understand me. Like if I was to say 'don't try anything', you wouldn't have any idea what it meant, would you?"
The Rakshasa merely continued to stare so Ryia continued, "Or if I said, 'the one at the door knows there is one of us he doesn't see', you wouldn't understand me either huh?"
In the corner of her eye, Ryia saw Veera nod subtly and relax her stance. Ryia wanted to stop talking, but it seemed that her mouth had other plans, "Or if I said 'you animals were all horrible monsters and that I would laugh if you all burned to death', you wouldn't know either."
She suddenly noticed a silver colored Rakshasa standing behind the one holding the cell door open. The silver one looked older and it was carrying what looked like a bedroll or a sleeping blanket made out of leather. Ryia's breath caught as the older looking one entered the cell and knelt down on the floor right next to to body of the dead girl. It set down its burden and unrolled it revealing some jars, plants, and a set of butcher's knives. Ryia's heart beat so quick and so hard she feared it might burst through her chest. The knives were big and ugly and had obviously seen more than a little use.
'Why does it have the knives and... the herbs...' Ryia's legs gave out and she fell limply to the floor, 'It's... it's going to carve her up and SEASON her!'
Ryia sat on the floor staring in horror at the array of large knives laid out in front of the silvery Rakshasa. The knives were obviously made to cut flesh and had seen more than a smattering of use. She felt tears gather in her eyes at seeing the display in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak but she found that she could not get any words out. She exhaled a choked sob and brought her right hand up to her mouth. Ryia tried to draw a breath, but it only sounded like a squeaky gasp. She closed her eyes and leaned her head forward onto her hand then covered her mouth to help her keep quiet.
The silvery Rakshasa growled quietly then barked sharply. Ryia looked up at it reflexively. The Rakshasa raised its left paw and pointed to Ryia, then gestured to the floor right next to the dead body. Ryia sniffed and blinked, "Wh-what?"
The silvery Rakshasa pointed to Ryia then pointed to the ground in front of him again. Ryia realized what it wanted. Her eyes widened and shook her head vigorously. She pressed herself back against the wall trying to inch her way toward the other women and the perceived safety they presented.
The silvery Rakshasa knitted its bushy eyebrows together and quickly barked a harsh command to the other Rakshasa in the cell, pointing at Ryia.
* * *
"Grab that creature and drag it over here!" Long Tooth ordered.
Diamond Tooth stepped into the cell, "Leave it be!" he countered his father's order.
Long Tooth turned his head and glared at Diamond, "Who are you to disobey a doctor, whelp?"
Diamond Tooth curled his jowls at his father, "These creatures are scared." he said quietly, "If you drag one away the others might attack. How do you intend to get any cooperation from them if they're too frightened to come near us?"
Long Tooth snorted, "Idiot pup." He turned back to the Guard Dogs, "Drag that one over and hold it down! NOW!" He turned back to Diamond, "If these creatures are too stupid to understand what I'm doing, then they're too stupid to be worth the effort, just like you were."
* * *
The four Rakshasa tromped toward Ryia, arms outstretched. She screamed and curled up into the fetal position as the Rakshasa grabbed at her. As soon as the first paw touched her body she lashed out, flailing wildly and striking the Rakshasa with her feet. The two Rakshasa next to the dead body were distracted while the four others had all their attention on Ryia. Veera was not about to sit idly by and merely watch.
She darted out of her corner and swiftly snuck up behind the closest Rakshasa. She deftly drew the long knife from the sheath on its belt then took a step back and delivered a swift kick right between its legs. Veera had hoped it was male, she was right. The Rakshasa whined loudly and both its paws went between its legs as it fell over onto the floor writhing and yelping in a hoarse voice.
The three other Rakshasa turned away from Ryia, their ears laying flat on their heads from the soul-rending yelps of their companion. Veera held the half-meter long blade in a reverse grip, knees bent and shoulder width apart. Her left hand was held out in front of the knife, palm and fingers open. She slid over to Ryia, "Get up!"
* * *
Long Tooth bared his teeth, "You idiots!" He snapped, "Kill that creature! We can't have them armed!"
Diamond had enough, "STOP!" He bellowed.
The Guard Dogs halted and turned toward Diamond curiously, "Leave it be..."
"I said..." Long Tooth began.
"Get out of my jail." Diamond Tooth said quietly.
Long Tooth briefly blinked in confusion before his face creased with indignation, "You insolent little..."
"GET OUT!" Diamond Tooth roared.
Long Tooth huffed air out of his nose then turned to put away his tools, making sure to do so as slowly as he could. Diamond was having none of it. His anger had been built up to the point where he was ready to become violent. He stepped forward and grabbed his father by the scruff. Long Tooth flailed around as he was lifted onto his foot paws and bodily dragged out of the cell. Diamond tossed his father into the hallway and the elderly doctor's tools followed him.
Long Tooth struggled to his feet, rage written all over his features, "Fine then! I want nothing more to do with you! I know every doctor in Gem Fount and I'll make sure every one of them know how you spurned your own father's wisdom!"
Diamond Tooth ignored the angry elder dog, which only angered Long Tooth even more, "My line dies with me." he spat angrily, "I have no son."
Diamond clenched his jaw and forced himself to ignore the elder dog's words. He would worry about where to sleep when his shift ended, though he held out no hope for his possessions surviving the night. Focusing on his present task, he barked orders to his Guard Dogs, "Back away from the creature. Two of you take Rot Nose and lay him down somewhere comfortable. I hope he can still sire puppies after that." Tooth sighed and scratched behind his left ear, "The other two of you wait by the door and make sure none of the creatures escape. I'll deal with this."
The Guard Dogs hurried to obey their commander while the creatures watched with interest. Two particular creatures were chattering at one another. He watched them carefully as he pulled his mace out of his belt and tossed it out the door.
* * *
"Was it an act?" Ryia asked Veera, "Something to lull us into believing a falsehood?"
Veera shrugged, still maintaining her ready stance, "Don't know. Don't really care either. We're prisoners here and at least one of us is already dead. I'm not letting these things come near any of us if I can help it." Veera paused as two of the Rakshasa picked up the one she had kicked in the crotch, "Heh, that's what they get for putting their grubby paws on one of us."
Ryia shuddered as the Rakshasa yelped when the other picked it up, "That one was male for sure. The way it screeched though... didn't you feel a little sorry for it?"
Veera snorted, "Nope. That thing should count itself lucky that I didn't gut it." She suddenly tensed, "What's this one doing?"
The Rakshasa that had thrown the butcher out, was standing in the middle of the cell with both its paws held out in front of it palms out as if in a 'wait' gesture. It held the posture for a moment before it lowered its left paw and held out its right one, palm up as if expecting to receive something.
Ryia whispered to the slightly older woman standing next to her, "I think he wants the knife."
Veera tightened her grip, "Not happening. He'll have to pry it from my dead hands."
* * *
Chop followed the Guard Dog through Gem Fount to the jail. There was a small courtyard in front of the building which had a large number of iron wrist and foot binders piled close to the building. Every Diamond Dog knew what the binders were for. Stone walls and iron bars were useless against a species that could burrow through solid stone almost as quickly as other species waded through water. Prisoners were bound with iron around their wrists and suspended from the ceiling facing the ground. The binders had obviously been removed from the cells and Chop approved of the idea, 'Bound creatures would be easier to handle but more difficult to deal with. That was a smart idea.'
The Guard Dog led Chop into the jail and through the hallways leading to the different cells. For his part, Chop paid close attention to the creatures the Guard Dog led him past, 'They walk on two legs... no claws, no muzzles either, how strange.'
The Guard Dog led Chop past a few cells, peeking in each one then moving on, "Looking for the commander." The Guard explained without being asked.
Chop followed the Guard past what smelled like a kitchen. His mouth watered as profusely as he always did when the savory smells hit his nose. Chop licked his jowls quietly, trying to keep his drool in check, 'This is so embarrassing. Polite dogs do not drool every time they smell food.' He wiped the back of his right arm against his muzzle, slurping loudly. The Guard looked over his shoulder and Chop flattened out his ears in embarrassment, "I have a drooling problem." He said in a clipped tone. The Guard nodded and continued his search.
The Guard finally led Chop to a cell where he stopped and gestured to a single, remarkably well-built dog standing in the center of the cell with his right paw out in front of him. He was facing two of the creatures, one of which had a long knife in its paws. There was a slightly smaller creature standing next to it. The two were chattering in a language that sounded like something a squirrel would speak. Chop tilted his head, 'They speak, good. They're smart enough to have a language.'
Chop shifted his focus to the slightly larger creature holding the knife. It had a long mane like a Kavim, but that was the only similarity it shared with them. It had long, slender paw pads and no claws. It had a face so flat it looked as if it had run into a wall when it was little. Its torso was much shorter than that of a Diamond Dog and oddly shaped as well. It had two rounded fleshy lumps high up on its chest which puzzled Chop at first. A thought suddenly hit him, 'Could it be a nursing female? The teats on a bitch swell and fill with milk before she gives birth and they stay big until she weans her puppy... where is her puppy?' He looked at the rest of her body, 'Is she in the early stages of pregnancy?' He looked at the other creatures, 'All of their teats are swollen. It seems unlikely they are all pregnant. Perhaps it is a way for their species to tell male from female?'
Chop wanted to observe what was going on, but the Guard felt it was pertinent to catch the attention of his superior, "Commander," he yelled, "The Ambassador Of Dogs is here to help you."
Diamond Tooth withheld a grunt of frustration and spoke over his shoulder, "Then have him ask these creatures to return the weapon they stole."
Slobber Chops decided to try the only language he knew aside from Dirgeth, "Emooli..."
* * *
Veera listened as Ryia spoke her thoughts out loud, "Look," she subtly pointed to a new Rakshasa that had been escorted to the cell door, "That one is dressed differently, like the butcher. Its carrying a bag of some sort. I wonder why it's here."
The newest Rakshasa was dressed in a long, brown tunic that had a belt around the middle with an even longer forest green vest with coattails hanging down almost to the ground. Its face was slightly different too. Its ears were floppy like those of a bloodhound, its jowls resembled that of a bulldog. Unlike the other Rakshasa, it did not have fangs showing from its mouth. Its eyes were a very light shade of brown, almost a tan color, which complimented its walnut colored fur.
Both women heard it speak in the growling manner that the other Rakshasa had before it turned its head to them. When it next opened its mouth it spoke in what sounded like a smooth young man's voice. The language was silky and flowed much more smoothly than the language the other Rakshasa had spoken.
Ryia's eyebrows rose, "Is it trying to talk... to us?"
Veera's eyes narrowed in anger, "So NOW they try diplomacy after they tried force?" She scoffed, "Well too little, too late boys!" She yelled at them.
* * *
"What did it say?" Diamond Tooth asked.
Chop shook his head, "I don't know."
"Well then how do we get it to give us the weapon?" Tooth asked, "I don't want to get violent with any of them, but it's not safe for my Guard Dogs if these creatures have weapons."
Slobber Chops gave the matter some serious thought, 'The creature holding the knife sounded angry... why?' Chop spoke to the commander again, "Why does she sound angry? What happened to cause this?"
Tooth spoke over his shoulder, "A doctor wanted the smaller one there to lay on the floor next to this dead one so he could see what killed it. He ordered my Guard Dogs to drag the smaller one over by force and the taller one attacked while they were distracted. It took the knife and kicked one of my Guard Dogs between his legs."
Slobber Chops considered the information, 'She, I'm going to guess it's a 'she', she had the knife but she didn't use it.' He looked at the female holding the knife, 'She's holding the weapon a very specific way so she might know how to use it. She had the ability to kill, she had the opportunity to kill... and yet she didn't kill...' the answer seemed clear to him, "She had the knife and she did NOT use it on the dog?"
Diamond Tooth nodded, "Yes, she had the chance, but she decided not to cut my Guard. I know she was only trying to help the smaller one. I threw the doctor out when he tried to order my Guard Dogs to kill her. I don't think she WANTS to use it, but I cannot take that risk."
Chop licked his lips and shuffled his foot paws, 'When Razor Wit first met me, she walked up and sat down next to the fire like she belonged there. She told me later that she did it to surprise me. It worked for her, maybe it will work for me too.'
"Then let me try something, commander. Come on out and leave the creatures in there for now. We'll all walk away and I'll come back when you feed them. I can work then, but I need their attention to be on me only." Chop explained.
Diamond Tooth considered Chop's idea, "Very well, but there will be Guard Dogs waiting just down the hallway in case they attack. I cannot be held responsible for what these creatures decide to do to you when you are by yourself."
Chop motioned for the commander and Guard Dogs to follow him, then turned and walked down the hallway.
* * *
Ryia was puzzled, "They're leaving?"
Veera chuckled, "About time."
"That one in the green coat. He just ordered them to leave..." Ryia spoke out loud.
Veera scoffed as the last Rakshasa left, closing the cell door behind itself, "And I keep my new toy." She raised the middle finger of her left hand at the retreating forms of the Rakshasa.
"The one that threw out the butcher, he didn't seem so bad." Ryia said, "And the one in the green coat actually sounded normal."
"The one that threw out the butcher tried to get me to give up my knife too." Veera said.
"But he didn't try to force you to." Ryia pointed out.
Veera sneered, "Yeah, because I would have gutted him like a fish."
Ryia rubbed her right hand over her left arm, looking around with uncertainty "I don't know Veera, I think maybe... I don't know."
Veera finally lowered the knife and gave Ryia a hug with her left arm, "It doesn't matter either way. With this knife, all we have to do is wait until they're not looking and I can pick the lock on the door."
Ryia quirked her eyebrows at the slightly taller woman, "Who ARE you Veera?"
Slobber Chops did his level best not to pull his ears in frustration as he spoke to the petulant Guard Dog cook, "Ponies do not eat meat, we cannot assume that these creatures do either. We should give them a variety to chose from, see what they like. We have vegetables and fruits and mushrooms, you need to include those."
The cook, Slop Slinger, snorted through his nose, "These creatures are already being given very good food. They may as well eat from the Governor's own plate." He grabbed a chunk of raw pork and shook it in front of Slobber Chops' face, "This is fresh from the slaughter, not a day old! If they do not eat this, they eat nothing!" He slammed the bloody meat back down and crossed his arms as if he had won a prize.
Chop was not done though, "And what happens if they eat it and end up dying because you were too stubborn to listen?"
Slop Slinger scrunched up his muzzle in thought. His pondering was interrupted by a voice from behind Chop, "The Ambassador has had dealings with Ponies. He knows better than any of us how to deal with other species." Chop perked his ears and turned his head. Diamond Tooth stood in the doorway of the kitchen, "I suggest you listen to him, Slinger."
Slop Slinger uncrossed his arms and glared at his commander, "Is that an order, sir?"
"Not at all, merely a suggestion." Tooth admitted as he began a slow walk around the small kitchen, "The Ambassador has knowledge and experience where you and I do not. Were we housing Diamond Dogs, I would agree with you completely, but we are not housing our kin. If something bad happens to these creatures, I will be the one to take the blame, not you, Slinger. I will not order you to do this, but I hope you will make the correct decision." He glanced at Slobber Chops, "I would like to speak with you in the barracks before you go to the creatures, Ambassador."
With his piece spoken, Diamond Tooth left the kitchen. He did not need to look over the shoulders of his Guard Dogs. He had faith that they would do what was right. It pleased him immensely to hear Slop Slinger ask Chop to repeat the recommendation as Tooth walked away. He smiled to himself, 'My Guard Dogs are the best for a reason.'
* * *
Chop wandered around the jail until he stumbled on to the barracks. Diamond Tooth was easy to spot. He was seated on the pallet closest to the entrance. The barracks was a series of narrow corridors which had trios of beds carved one on top of another into the walls and two pallets situated on either side of the door. The walkways were thin enough that two dogs could move around one another if they did not mind scraping tails.
Diamond patted the blanket next to him and Chop sat down beside the commander, "You wanted to see me, Commander Diamond Tooth?"
Diamond Tooth licked his chops and whined under his breath, a clear sign of emotional upset, "I am... in an unexplored place here, Ambassador. I do not know what to do and that upsets me... greatly. I am not fond of these creatures, but I cannot help but to feel for them. I do not know how they came to be in our old tunnels, but my instinct tells me they did not arrive by their own choice." He turned to Chop, "Tell me, would the Alicorns send these creatures here out of spite? Perhaps as punishment? It is a well-known that Ponies hate us..."
"They don't." Chop interrupted the commander, "They do not hate us. They do not understand us, in many different scents."
Tooth perked his ears, "How do you mean?"
"When we sniff another, what are we smelling for? What do we want to find out?" Chop asked.
"We smell their necks and muzzles to be polite, we smell their ears and tails to sniff out parasites... why do you ask?" Tooth inquired.
"Ponies do not sniff each other, they shake hooves. Their noses cannot tell if there are parasites or if another is unhealthy unless they see it. I sniffed the Pony I became friends with and she blushed. She did not understand. Ponies are not like us, but they ARE like us. In one way they are nearly identical to us. They have families, they love, they breathe, and they eat. In other ways they are not like us. They do not sniff as we do, they do not eat raw meat, they do not dig well, they do not carve their homes to last forever, and they do not smell the scents of the soil as we do. They smell the world differently yes, but they do not hate us. To us it seems ridiculous not to sniff another, to them it makes no sense to sniff. Ponies are afraid of what is different. They do not hate us as most think of it, they fear what they do not understand." Chop licked up the drool making its way down his jowls, "And to answer you, no I do not think the Alicorns would do such a thing. My Unicorn friend, Razor Wit told me what she knew about the Princesses. They could do many things, but this?" He shook his head, "No, I do not think they would."
Satisfied, Diamond Tooth changed the subject, "How do you plan to speak with these creatures if you cannot speak their language?"
Chop bobbed his head, the question was a smart one, "I will speak to them in other ways. It would be much easier if I had my writings. Razor Wit left her writings with me when she left. I remember how she started learning Dirgeth, but after the simple parts... I did not pay close enough attention." Chop's ears wilted at the admission, "I was not here to help with these creatures. I was her to see my cousin give birth to her puppy."
Diamond Tooth cocked his head in confusion, "So you chose to help us instead of your cousin? Family is the most important thing in the world." Tooth felt a terrible pang of guilt as he realized how hypocritical he was.
Slobber Chops shook his head as if he was shaking himself dry, "G-g-g-g-ra! I am a terrible dog. I abandon my family to help creatures I don't even know." He hung his head, "What kind of dog abandons family?"
Tooth held his tongue, 'I did the same thing.' He gingerly patted Chop on the shoulder, "You are the kind of dog I want to have as a Guard. Family, real family will understand. These creatures would have died in the tunnels, and perhaps even in the cells if you were not here. You are a good dog, Ambassador."
Slobber Chops huffed out a half-hearted laugh, "You can call me Chop. All my friends and family do."
"Then call me Tooth. I like it more than 'commander'. We are more than our titles, are we not?" Tooth said.
Chop lolled out his tongue in a genuinely happy expression, "We are, Tooth."
* * *
Ryia was lying down on one of the pallet that had cow hide stretched over it. She was trying to sleep while Veera kept an eye out for the Rakshasa. She wanted to use the knife to pick the lock on the cell door, but she wanted to wait until she had gained an understanding of the patterns and sleep cycles of the Rakshasa. The other women had stayed away from Ryia and Veera and had not engaged them in conversation. Veera and Ryia were happy to ignore them in turn.
Try as she might, Ryia found herself unable to sleep. She tossed and turned left and right but no matter which way she lay, sleep fled from her. In frustration she groaned and sat up, "I can't get comfortable." She rubbed her eyes with her palms and let out a jaw cracking yawn, "Is there anything to drink?"
Veera who was standing by the bars of the cell, turned and responded to the query, "I'm afraid not. I could go for a good scotch on the rocks right now."
Ryia sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest then wrapped her arms around them, "Have the Rakshasa been by?"
Veera nodded as she turned back to the bars, "Like every couple of minutes. I think they're walking constant patrols around these cells we're in. I'm counting seconds between every time they come by. They have to change shifts eventually and with the amateur way they handled themselves earlier, it should be quite a gap. Then we have to time everything just right to get out of here. I'm not going to take the risk of picking the lock and escaping even before we know what's beyond these walls. Who knows where Rakshasa have been hiding all this time. They were known in legends, but to see them... they had to have found a way to stay hidden."
Ryia lay her head against her knees, "I'm not so sure they are Rakshasa."
Veera looked back to the younger woman, "What do you mean?"
Ryia shrugged, "They just don't seem to act the same. I was scared earlier when the silver one came in here, but... I don't know. It just seems odd to me that they would bring the dead girl back here and leave her. According to the legends, Rakshasa ate Humans, but if these creatures really are Rakshasa then why did they just leave the girl's corpse here instead of eating her? Why would they bring her dead body back? To show us? To scare us?"
Veera nodded, "I've had a couple of those thoughts as well. You're right that something seems off, but the fact remains that we are their prisoners and they took all our clothes. Why?" Veera shrugged, "Who knows, but there was no reason to take our clothes."
Ryia grunted in affirmative, "I don't think they are Rakshasa."
Veera furrowed her eyebrows, "Well I can't think of anything else to call them."
Ryia scooted around and leaned her back against the wall behind her, "Something doesn't add up Veera. There is something strange going on here. Isn't it odd that there is obviously a stable population of these... creatures and nobody has ever found them?"
Veera tossed her hair and snorted, "You're right, something is strange about that." She gestured out the bars, "That there is another species here, that Humans haven't annihilated? Not likely. We would have befriended them or wiped them out."
Ryia was struck by inspiration, "That makes sense. If they had once lived on the surface then they would have left a colossal hole in whatever ecosystem they were part of. Nature hates a void and the eradication of an entire species of intelligent life would leave quite a gap. Even if they withdrew underground, there would be huge repercussions. The impact would be astounding."
Veera coughed into her closed fist, "So then... what? Are they aliens? Doesn't seem likely."
Ryia shook her head emphatically, "Technology level is WAY too primitive."
Veera sighed, "Despite popular culture, not every alien race has to have matter teleporters and laser guns."
Ryia waved her left hand, "No, I mean nothing is even made of steel. Haven't you noticed? These creatures are still in the bronze age or something. Granted, we're assuming a lot."
Veera narrowed her eyes in confusion, "How so?"
Ryia cleared her throat, "Ahem, well we assume that they have had just as much time to develop as we have. Humans have come a very long way since the bronze age, but we've also had a lot of time since then. Maybe these creatures have only just evolved language within the last few hundred years. We don't know." Ryia rose to her feet, "Their development might be slower than ours or perhaps a lot faster. Their species might have taken a different scientific route somehow and they figured out how to accomplish faster than light travel before they even developed steel. Anything is possible." Ryia shook her head, "I've been so scared I've been acting like a frightened child. If these things meant to kill us, they would have. All they had to do was use the weapons they already had at their disposal. Primitive or not, a mace will kill a person easily. When you disarmed that one and kicked him in the testicles, they didn't kill you. They could have swarmed you and torn you to pieces, but they didn't."
Ryia crossed her arms over her breasts and began to pace, "I saw them when they first found us. I know it isn't wise to Humanize their expressions, but they looked surprised..." another thought occurred to her, "And why didn't they have a light source with them already?"
Veera cocked her head to the right, "What do you mean?"
"There was no light before they found us. It was completely black. If they needed light to see, we would have easily seen it well before they reached us..." another puzzle piece fell into place, "They don't need light to see, or not much anyway."
"Then why light a torch?" Veera asked.
Ryia shook her head, "It was a hand lamp. They must need some light to see otherwise they wouldn't have had a lamp..." and finally it clicked, "They... they lit the lamp... for us!"
Veera shook her head, "That's stupid."
Ryia waved her hands in exasperation, "No, it makes perfect sense!" She began pacing faster, "If we put the pieces together it does make sense! It took them hours to find us. That means they didn't know we would be there. They lit a lamp, so that WE could see. They navigated the caves easily on their own without a light source, but they lit a light so we could see them. Why? Because they WANTED us to see them!" Ryia began putting the pieces together faster as more pieces fell into place, "They took the dead girl then brought her back..." she paced and spoke her thoughts, "The silver one had the knives... and herbs..." she nearly screamed once it hit her, "Oh I'm such an idiot! The silver one must have been a shaman or medicine man of some sort! He pointed to the floor because he wanted to examine a live Human compared to a dead one! He had butcher's knives as far as what WE know, but in ancient times, like the bronze age, those would have been the tools of a surgeon!"
Veera quirked an eyebrow at Ryia, "Huh?"
Ryia walked up to Veera and looked her in the eyes, "It all adds up! These creatures are in the bronze age and their knowledge of medicine is just as antiquated!" She clasped both hands on Veera's shoulders, "Think about it! The lamp, the doctor, the lack of ripping you apart when you assaulted one of them... We misunderstood them! I think they were trying to HELP us!" She let go of Veera's arms and covered her face, "Great."
The squeak of wheels in need of oil echoed down the corridor and Veera turned her head, "Well, looks like we'll have time to test your theory."
Slobber Chops pushed the cart down the hallway toward the cell he had seen earlier. One of the younger Guard Dogs walked with him speaking quietly, "I have been told by the Commander not to interfere unless the creatures attack you, Lord Slobber Chops..."
Chop growled at the title, "I am no Lord. I am a speaker to others. Just leave us alone unless you hear me yelling for help. These creatures are frightened and they probably think of Guard Dogs as scary and dangerous. Please stay out of sight while I try to communicate with them."
The Guard Dog yapped a quick affirmative as they stopped in front of the cell door. The Guard Dog unlocked the door and held it open for the Ambassador, then closed it behind him. Slobber Chops let go of the cart and looked around. Most of the creatures were huddled together against one of the far corners of the cell, while the small one and the tall one from earlier in the day were standing next to the bars of the cell. The tall one brandished its stolen blade subtly, tightening its grip on the weapon while the smaller one watched Chop curiously.
'Parent and child?' Chop wondered, 'No matter, I need to get this process started.' He looked back down to the cart he was pushing. There was cow, pig, chicken, mushrooms, some very valuable fruits and vegetables, and even a bit of fish. All the food was in its perfect form for eating: raw and unrefined.
He began taking the clay plates off the cart and setting them down on the stone floor of the cell. He laid out every food plate separately then pushed the cart to the far end of the cell, away from the clustered creatures. He left the cart and sat himself down near the food.
* * *
"That must be for us." Ryia whispered.
Veera raised her eyebrows, "Then go get it."
"Are you crazy!?" Ryia hissed, "YOU'RE the one with the knife, you get it."
Veera shrugged uncomfortably, "Well... they seem to like you best..."
"Mara's mercy, Veera! I weigh maybe sixty kilograms," Ryia gestured to the Rakshasa sitting by the food, "He has to weigh close to a hundred and fifty! He could snap me in half like a twig!"
Veera leaned over and spoke sternly into Ryia's ear, "I'll keep an eye on him... this was your idea."
Ryia closed her eyes and shook her head, fists clenched at her sides, 'Talking about it is one thing when they're not here...' she looked up at the one sitting on the stone floor behind the food, 'But actually DOING it...' she shuddered, 'The fangs, the claws...' she shifted her weight from left to right trying to work up the courage to go get the food. It was far more difficult to put her words to action than she had assumed it would be.
The whole time, the Rakshasa just sat there on the floor waiting patiently with his little puppy eyes... Ryia blinked and rubbed her own eyes, 'What?' She focused on the eyes of the beast, taking in its entire countenance bit by bit, 'It... it really does... kind of... look like a dog.' Despite the number of feral dogs that roamed around her home town, Ryia liked dogs. The ones she had seen as pets and the few pets she had been able to interact with, had all been positive experiences.
"Hey Veera?" Ryia whispered.
"What?" Veera asked.
"Doesn't he kind of look like a dog?"
Veera was taken off-guard by the question, but she did examine the creature more critically, "Yeah, if you like colossal, demon-possessed, mangy pugs."
Ryia nearly smiled at Veera's description, "He looks more like... a lanky... shaggy... Jack Russell Terrier."
Veera sighed in irritation, "Then go pet him or something!" she hissed, "We haven't eaten all day and it's making me cranky."
Ryia drew in a deep breath and steeled her resolve, just as the creature raised its claws.
* * *
Slobber Chops had expected some hesitation on the part of the creatures, but thus far not a single one had ventured forward to eat. Chop raised his paws and gestured to the creatures then to the food, it was as much of an invitation as he could manage given the complete lack of intelligible words available to him. Still none of the creatures moved forward. Chop hung his head, 'Razor Wit would know what to do.'
The sound of a tiny scrape caught his attention, his ears swiveling toward the noise. He slowly raised his head and saw the smaller creature from earlier that day cautiously inching her way forward. Chop held still so as not to spook her. She crept closer and closer, her eyes locked onto the plate of dried apricots. Moving very slowly, Chop raised his paw and slid the plate toward the creature.
She crept forward, reaching out her arms slowly. As soon as she had her digits wrapped around the plate, she pulled the entire plate to her and stuffed one of the dried fruits into her mouth. She chewed it slowly moaning with delight. As soon as she had finished the first one, she rose to her feet and presented the plate to the others who were huddling in the farthest corner of the cell, with the exception of the tall one who stood apart from the others holding the stolen knife in her hands. The others descended on the plate ravenously while the smaller one cast an unsure look over her shoulder at him.
Chop decided to stay seated, but he slid the other clay plates toward the creatures hoping that the demonstration of intent would help to settle their nerves and make them more at ease around him. The same small female from before took the plates of vegetables and fruits, but left the meat alone. Chop began to wonder if perhaps the creatures did not eat meat at all until the same small one, apparently feeling bold, sat down in front of Chop. She was well out of arm's reach, but still she was there presenting a willingness to at least be near him. She pointed to the plates of meat and looked up at Slobber Chops as if expecting him to explain them. The meats were skinned and boned, so he could understand why she was confused. He also noted, 'She either can't tell what they are by smell or she doesn't know what they are.'
Deciding to pantomime, Chop pressed one of his claws to his nose and pushed up then snorted like a pig. The creature's face seemed to light up in compression. She shook her head and pushed the plate back toward Chop.
* * *
Veera watched as the creature sitting on the floor imitated different animals as Ryia pointed to the plates of meat. He snorted like a pig, he mooed like a cow, he clucked like a chicken, but the last one ta e him pause before he pressed both paws to his muzzle and made kissy faces. The pantomime of a fish was easy to interpret from there and despite how dangerous he looked, Veera nearly chuckled at the ridiculous face he made.
Ryia pushed all the plates of meat back toward the creature and made several motions with her hands. The creature cocked his head to the side, his ears partially rising, just like a dog. Ryia put her right hand to her chin and pondered briefly before she snapped her fingers and briskly rubbed both of her hands together creating heat from the friction. The creature looked even more confused until she motioned for one of its paws. It slowly reached its left paw forward and Ryia placed her hands on either side of the paw.
The creature still looked confused until Ryia removed her hands and pointed to the meat. The creature looked back and forth a number of times before its eyes lit up in understanding. It turned to the cell bars and growled out some strange words. A rasping reply from just beyond Veera's sight answered him. The response was accompanied by the sound of paws slapping the stone floor, 'Ah, he had a guard close by.' Veera then turned her attention back to Ryia and the creature.
Ryia patted her bare chest and said her name. She repeated her name five times and the creature got the idea. It seemed to have no difficulty pronouncing her name and then in turn, it patted its chest and growled something almost incomprehensible. Ryia's posture sunk as she realized she would have great difficulty saying the name. She tried more than ten times, but never got it. After the twelfth time, the creature wiped its own paw on its jowls and held out the drool covered appendage toward Ryia. The creature pointed to its slobbery paw then patted its chest. The poor girl looked absolutely lost as to the meaning.
Veera on the other hand had a thought, "Maybe he's trying to show you what his name means?"
Ryia never turned her head, "Drool?"
The creature gestured to its slobbery paw again and repeated the word, "Drul?"
Ryia shook her head, "No, drool."
The creature patted its chest, "Drool." It then pointed to its muzzle.
Ryia arched an eyebrow, "Face?" She asked quietly, patting her cheek, "Face?"
The creature nodded happily. Ryia turned toward Veera and tried not to laugh, "His name is... Drool Face?"
Diamond Tooth was sleeping soundly in one of the palettes on the floor of the bunk house when one of his Guard Dogs shook him awake, "Sir! Sir, wake up!"
Tooth opened his maw, tongue stretched out and curling at the tip. He blinked groggily up at his subordinate, "You have something to report?"
The Guard Dog shuffled his feet, eyes locked on the floor and distinctly not at his superior, "There... there's a problem with one of the creatures..." the nervous guard whined under his breath, "It... seems..." he trailed off.
Tooth growled and sleepily rubbed his eyes with his paw pads, "Speak already!"
The Guard Dog screwed up his courage and it all came tumbling out in one long, run-on word, "Whenwecametorelievethepreviouswatchwenoticedthatoneofthecreatureswasbleedingfromherpuppypassageanditlookslikesomebodytookindecentlibertieswithher."
Diamond Tooth blinked rapidly, trying to decipher what his Guard Dog had just told him. His blinking slowed down as he registered the words. His eyes slowly widened then narrowed dangerously, his voice was deathly soft but deep, "What?"
* * *
An explosion of metallic clanging and pained yelping startled Veera and Ryia out of their slumber. Veera was on her feet in an instant while Ryia shook her head trying to clear the metaphorical cobwebs. Veera dashed over to the cell bars and peered as far down the hallway as she could. She could hear raucous barking and snarling heading their way, "Stay back everybody! They're coming this way!"
Hard on the heel of Veera's warning, the burly body of one of the Rakshasa waddled into view. His hand paws and foot paws were chained together and his head was down as if in shame. Behind him came another in the same restraints, then came another, and another after him. The parade continued until twenty of the Rakshasa were lined up, facing the inside of the cell, with twice their number directly behind them, holding them in place. Veera backed away from the door holding her long knife subtly in a reverse grip as she stepped toward Ryia.
The Rakshasa all whined in a chorus, but the feminine screams echoing down the hallway overrode all other sounds. Veera and Ryia shared a confused glance as the biggest Rakshasa carried a woman from another cell over his shoulder. Behind him was Drool Face. Drool Face was trying to pantomime something to the terrified woman, but her continued shrieking and flailing against the back of the big one made any communication beyond impossible. Under any other circumstances the scene might have been hilarious.
The big Rakshasa opened the cell door and heaved the woman off his shoulder, setting her on the ground gently. Drool Face entered the cell and closed the door behind them. The woman scrambled away from the big one and Drool Face. Veera and Ryia had a new member of their 'interactions club'. The woman crawled to them and curled up behind Veera.
Veera kept an eye on the two Rakshasa. She was not so concerned with Drool Face, but the big one had her attention. Meanwhile Ryia began trying to calm the new woman down. She knelt down on the floor and stroked the woman's head and back, speaking soothing words to her.
* * *
Slobber Chops sighed as he watched Ryia trying to calm down the female who had been savaged. The idea of rape was not a new one, but the crime was remarkably rare. Trying to force yourself upon a member of a species that was born with razor sharp claws and teeth was not a wise course of action and was likewise the only reason to use one's claws or teeth against another sapient being. The accusation from Diamond Tooth that one of the Guard Dogs had done so and with a helpless captive no less, made Chop more than a bit uncertain. The olden legends and tales of Darkclaw The Corrupt Guard Dog were known far and wide, but Chop had never heard of a Guard Dog actually being caught so obviously, nor doing something so detestable.
Beside Slobber Chops, Diamond Tooth grumbled unhappily, "How long until they calm the victim down?"
Chop could easily hear the irate growl behind the Commander's words, "I can't say with surety. It may take a long time, or it may be fairly quick." He turned his head and regarded the Commander curiously, "How would you react if strange creatures hauled you out of bed in the middle of your sleep?"
Diamond Tooth snorted, "Depending on whether or not they were beautiful bitches, I might think it was having a nice dream."
Chop huffed a quick laugh and returned to his serious demeanor, "What is to be done once the victim identifies her attacker?"
Diamond Tooth growled again under his breath, "I'll bring him in here, kneel him down, and give the victim a weapon. Beyond that will be her decision."
Chop swallowed hard. He had never seen an execution in person. They were rare, but did occasionally occur. He almost felt bad for the perpetrator... almost. He perked his ears forward and decided to get to work. He stepped away from the cell bars that Diamond Tooth was leaning against, and crouched low to the ground so as to seem as unimposing as possible.
The tall female with the knife noticed him. She looked down at the smaller female who was busy tending to the victim, then looked back at him. She took two steps forward and spoke some of her strange language at him. The only words he was able to make out was his name.
* * *
Veera was not the happiest woman in the cell, but Ryia was busy so Veera had to deal with Drool Face herself. She stepped toward his crouched form, "If you're trying to look cute Drool Face, you're missing it by quite a margin."
Drool Face cocked his head to the side, his ears sliding up his head. Veera had to force herself not to chuckle, "Now THAT'S closer." She coughed into her left fist, "Alright, what do you want?"
Drool Face slurped up some of the saliva that had accumulated in his mouth and twitched his nose and tail, thinking. After a moment he turned and growled something to the big one standing against the bars. The big one shook his head as if sad, and handed Drool Face a small knife. Drool Face cringed as he made a small cut in his left arm and passed the knife back to the big one.
Drool Face used the pads on his left hand paw and wiped away the tiny amount of blood that had seeped out of the cut on his arm. He then smeared the blood between his thumb and index claw and held it out to Veera, letting her see it. Veera saw the blood but was puzzled at what Drool Face was trying to communicate. The Rakshasa then pulled its bloody paw pads toward its crotch and gestured to the woman who had been brought in.
Veera's eyebrows rose as her mind put the pieces together. She turned toward Ryia and the other woman "Hey," she addressed loudly, "Are you on the rag?"
The other woman looked up and nodded numbly, "Y-y-yes."
Veera twitched her left thumb over her shoulder, "Any idea why they have a score of their own in chains over there?" She asked, "Drool Face here is trying to tell us something and it has to do with you menstruating."
The woman looked to Drool Face then back to Veera, "Why would they care?"
Ryia spoke up quickly, "Well, female animals go into heat when they're ready to mate... maybe they think there is something like that going on with you?"
Veera threw her head back and laughed, "Bwahahahahahahaha! And they think one of their guys can 'do the deed'?"
A sharp, loud bark brought Veera's attention back to Drool Face. The Rakshasa proceeded to perform another pantomime. He pointed to the woman, then grabbed his left wrist with his right hand paw and held it to the ground in a restraining fashion. He then pointed to the chained up Rakshasa, then to the woman again. Finally he used his bloody paw to make a slashing motion across his neck and made an angry face toward the chained Rakshasa.
Veera was lost, but Ryia had been paying attention, "The way he held his wrist was imitating being held restrained. Is he saying that one of them held you down?" She asked the woman.
The woman shook her head, "No, they only came into the cell to bring us food and water."
Ryia was puzzled, "Then why did he make those motions?"
Veera shrugged, "No idea." She turned back to Drool Face and raised her hands, "What are you trying to tell us?"
The Rakshasa obviously did not understand the words, but the interrogative tone was obvious enough. He huffed out an exasperated breath and thought some more. His ears suddenly perked up and he sat down on the floor. He pointed to the ones that were in chains, then he held his wrist to the ground again. After that he formed a circle by touching his bloody thumb claw to his bloody index claw and thrust his whole arm through the hole spreading the two finger claws apart. He pulled his arm back and out and gestured to the space his arm had forced open between his bloody claws then gestured to his crotch and finally to the woman again.
Ryia finally caught on, "It's a rape investigation." Veera and the woman both looked at her strangely. Ryia began to explain, "The motions he made with his hand and arm pantomimed sex. The separation between his thumb and forefinger is meant to indicate that your vagina was ripped in the process, that's also why he used his bloody fingers as the example. When he gestured to the chained up ones earlier, he meant to say that if you identify the one who did it, that one would be executed."
The woman's eyes bulged, "But none of them did! They haven't touched any of us. Why would they think I was raped?"
"They must have smelled or saw the blood." Veera explained, "Maybe their females don't menstruate or go into heat. If that's the case, I can understand the concern."
The woman had another concern, "But how do you go about explaining a woman's menstrual cycle using hand motions?"
Ryia shook her head, "Without a common language, I don't think we can. How would we explain the twenty-six day fertility cycle to a species that seems to live underground with no reference point for the sun rising or setting? Even if we managed to do that, how do we explain that it's the body's way of cleaning itself to a species who may have absolutely no comprehension of it?" Ryia sighed, "I think the best thing we can do is try to tell them that a rape didn't happen."
Veera nodded, "Makes sense. Have fun, I'm no good at this non-verbal communication thing."
Ryia rolled her eyes as she and Veera switched places, "He's already given us the hand motions we need to get the point across. Wish me luck, this might take a few tries."
* * *
Slobber Chops watched Ryia's pantomime very carefully, trying to understand what she meant. He had her repeat it several times before he was satisfied with his understanding. He turned his head toward where Commander Diamond Tooth was half dozing as he leaned against the cell bars, "I think they're trying to say that the female was not ravaged by one of your Guard Dogs."
Diamond Tooth instantly became alert. He pushed off the bars and knelt down next to the Ambassador, "Then why is that female bleeding? Is she 'in season' like an animal?"
Slobber Chops shook his head, "I don't know, perhaps they do go into heat. I cannot think of any other reasons for it, but we cannot make assumptions in either direction. We just don't know enough about them yet."
Diamond Tooth dragged his paws down his face, "Well we need to know as soon as possible. Are you REALLY sure there was no crime? I love my Guard Dogs but I hold them to a high standard. If any of them has committed a crime, especially one of THAT nature against one of these creatures, I would not let it go unpunished."
Slobber Chops nodded, "I am as certain as I can be sir."
Diamond Tooth sighed again and yelled over his shoulder, "Take the manacles off them." He turned back to Chop and whispered, "Looks like I have some apologies to make." He paused briefly and turned his head back to Slobber Chops, "She isn't going to want one of the males from the other cells is she? I have no regulations regarding such things."
Chop shrugged, "I'll ask... tomorrow. I need to get back to sleep."