//------------------------------// // Part IV // Story: Dog's Best Friends // by Scyphi //------------------------------// Early the next morning, as the underground city of Sapphiria awoke for the new day, the morning shift of guards all started filing towards Pillar Castle so to report in, receive their assignments, and get to work. Most of these guards were already dressed in uniform or their usual duty armor, so to see Diamond Dogs entering dressed as such was definitely not an unexpected sight. Especially not since many were expecting a long day of work, knowing that Sir Husky probably would have many of them continue to search for the missing creatures he was so adamant be found. What went overlooked, however, was that there were a few extras filing in this morning. After slipping in through the usual checkpoint at the guard’s entrance without being noticed, one of them, Woofus, gently raised the visor of his helmet a bit so to better orient himself, then, being completely overlooked while wearing the armor Rottweiler had obtained for him last night, he turned and hurried off in the direction of the dungeons. “Everything’s still going as planned,” he mumbled to himself as he went. “I dearly hope it continues, and no unforeseen complications arise…” Meanwhile, Rottweiler was entering the castle from an entirely different location, pushing a covered cart as he rolled in through the building’s loading bay entrance, located on its side. A couple night shift guards were still posted in and around it and greeted their superior officer happily but with some small surprise. “Good morning, sir,” the closest of the dogs said, positioned just inside the entrance and surveying all that came and went through the bay. “We weren’t expecting to see you coming in through here today.” He nodded his head at the cart. “What’s the occasion?” Rottweiler blew a heavy sigh as he forced a grin. “Just getting an early start to what is sure to be a rough day,” he admitted as he rolled the cart past without slowing. “They still haven’t found those outsiders that are supposed to be roaming the city, and I anticipate Sir Husky will be having us up our game trying to find them.” He patted the covered top of the cart. “So I’m bringing in some additional crowd control equipment from one of the guard posts so to boost our supply here, in case we need it.” “Think we will, sir?” the guard asked, turning his head as he watched Rottweiler roll the cart further into the bay. “I think it never hurts to be prepared,” Rottweiler evaded. “Well, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if we did,” another guard standing across the room groused. “Personally, I don’t know why Sir Husky wants us finding the outsiders so badly. I would think he’d sooner just want the whole mangy lot of them gone.” A head-sized lump started rising up from underneath the cover on Rottweiler’s cart at this comment, but Rottweiler quickly pressed it back down with one paw. “That’s not your call to make, mister,” he reprimanded as cover. “Now stand at the ready and do whatever job you’re asked without complaint.” “Yes sir,” the guard grumbled and went silent. Rottweiler continued on without further incident, leaving the guards behind at their posts as he pushed the cart through the loading area and into an unoccupied storage room full of boxes and other equipment. The moment he latched the door behind him, Gallus burst out from under the cart’s cover, looking annoyed. “We are not mangy!” he burst out, jabbing a claw at Rottweiler. “If anything, you guys are the mangy ones! I mean, do you all never bathe? Just when I think my nose has finally adjusted to it, I find another Diamond Dog with a whole new level of B.O.!” He fell silent for a moment, breathing heavily while Rottweiler stared him down, apathetic. “Look, I’m sorry, but I just had to get that out finally.” “Fine, just keep it to yourself,” Rottweiler advised as he grabbed a spear from a stash in the corner and tossed it to the young griffon. “We’re here to try and prevent a confrontation from happening, not start one because you couldn’t keep your beak shut.” “Right, right,” Gallus grumbled as he ducked back down into the empty cart. “Now where do you want me?” “We’re going to move closer to the throne room,” Rottweiler explained as he pulled the cover back in place, hiding Gallus from view again. “There’s a storage room near there that I can fit you and this cart in, but while keeping us both within hearing and acting range should something come up.” “Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Gallus murmured, uneasy about any hiccups in their daring plan, and silently hoped he and his other friends wouldn’t have to face that. Of which, his remaining friends were already moving to also help ensure such outcomes don’t come to pass. As it happened, Rottweiler knew the location of one bachelor guard’s house which would be vacant at this time and close to Pillar Castle, making it a great lookout point. Dressed in cloaks so to avoid detection, Sandbar, Silverstream, and Yona climbed up a staircase running up this house’s back wall and to its roof. Once there, Yona had to stop and take in the many plants growing here in raised beds, making for a rooftop garden lit by the same glowing stones that lit most of the rest of Sapphira. “Diamond Dog guard is gardener!” she noted aloud in approval. “Well, everybody’s gotta have a hobby,” Sandbar remarked as he slipped past the plants and to the other side of the roof where the castle could be seen directly ahead of them. Yona then wandered over to a large chute standing at the edge to their left, peering into it. “What this though?” she sniffed, wrinkling her nose. “It smell funny.” “I’ll bet you that’s a rubbish chute, for trash and compost and stuff!” Silverstream declared, coming over to join the yak. “My aunt’s got something like this at her home, back at Mount Aris. It should lead straight down into a dumpster that collects it all.” She poked her head into the sizeable chute. “Mind you, this guy must have a lot of stuff to toss down here at any one time so to have it be this big. We all could fit down this, no problem!” “I wouldn’t recommend it, though,” Sandbar said, and motioned the two girls over to the roof edge he was keeping ducked down low at. “Now let’s keep quiet and keep an eye out,” he said, pointing a hoof at the castle’s main entrance, clearly in view, as well a number of its key side entrances. “We need make sure the way out stays clear for when everybody else needs to get out.” “And to keep an eye out for any trouble,” Silverstream added as she ducked down beside Sandbar. “Yona hopes her eye does not see trouble,” Yona murmured as she hunkered down on Sandbar’s other side, and all three of them settled down to watch the castle. However, Husky was found in an uneasy mood when three members of the administrative staff came to pay him a visit in the throne room, looking to carry out a normally routine morning meeting. “If I may, you do not look well, your majesty,” one commented aloud, brow furrowed with concern. “I didn’t sleep well,” Husky admitted, rubbing at his tired eyes. “This whole mess is stupid…it needs to be over already.” “I take it, then, that the guards haven’t had any new success in finding the missing creatures,” another of the administrators surmised. “No, no sign of them at all anywhere in the city,” Husky muttered as he fretfully paced. “They must have found some place secure to lay low for the night.” “It’s possible,” the administrator concluded. “Wherever it is, though, it continues to elude us.” “Comments like that aren’t helping us find them, though,” Husky reminded, pointing a claw at the administrator. He rubbed at his eyes again. “Nor was the captain of the guard’s comments earlier suggesting that they’ve somehow already escaped the city.” “That may also be a possibility. Despite our attempts to cut off all exits in or out of the city, the fact they haven’t turned up for some time may suggest that they still found—” “No, Woofus is still in the city,” Husky immediately cut off. “I can feel it…besides, we have his supposed friends in prison still…he isn’t going to go anywhere without them.” He paused, then added with some uncertainty, “I hope. He’d better.” The administrators looked at one another for a second. “With respect, sir, you said the same thing yesterday,” the third finally spoke. “But to be quite frank…we’ve seen little sign that this is actually the case.” “Nor does it do anything to rule out the possibility the outsiders could try and seek outside help to recover those prisoners,” the first added. “If so, Sapphiria could be in grave danger continuing to hold those prisoners.” “Needless danger at that,” the second agreed. He bowed respectively. “With all due respect, your majesty, when we the administrative staff agreed to grant you the throne, it was with the expectation that you would be capable of quickly and effectively addressing problems such as this without creating further complications for us or your pack…but your tactics thus far appear to have only dragged out the matter longer than needed, and yet you insist on continuing to pursue a fruitless search we are unconvinced is really proving worthwhile, and the uncertainty you are showing on the matter is not helping with that perception.” Husky shook his head, disagreeing. “Well, I’m sorry if the results haven’t been completely to your tastes, but…as pack leader, isn’t this my call to make?” He didn’t get an immediately response, so instead he sighed, shaking his head while continuing to uneasily pace. “Given the circumstances as I see them presented before me…” “What if circumstances are not actually as you see them, your majesty?” the administrator questioned. Husky squeezed his eyes shut. “Please don’t question me on this and just trust me…I promise, I’ll make this work. It has to. Woofus—” “Your majesty, Sir Woofus abdicated the throne, and accounts show he has no interest in reclaiming it. He has made no moves against you or anyone of import in the city since his return, and we have accounts that he only did that so to try and dissuade you from imprisoning any of the outsiders in the first place.” “The prisoners are my bartering chip with Woofus—the advantage we have that will keep in line and playing by our rules.” “And if Sir Woofus proves to have already been playing by our rules, and this whole situation proves to be…fabricated?” the third administrator tactfully inquired. “Your choice of tactics may no longer be relevant.” Husky made a frustrated growl, pressing his paws to his temples while pacing. “That doesn’t matter,” he hissed. “What matters is that we’ll find him and his outsider allies. Today. And those prisoners will be the bait to lure them in.” “And if that fails?” “Then we—” Husky flustered about for a moment, clearly not having an alternative in mind. “—it won’t come to that. This will work. I promise.” The administrator wasn’t swayed. “And if it doesn’t?” he repeated again. “And you plans fail?” Husky paused abruptly and his gaze turned distant as with a suppressed shudder he considered that possibility. “That’s not an option,” he instead stressed in denial. The administrator was silent for a moment. “I see.” “Speaking of our prisoners,” Husky continued, quickly changing the subject in hopes of regaining control, “I want to know how they are doing. Do any of you know if they over the worse of that fever yet?” The three dogs shook their heads. “We do not,” the first admitted. “The quarantine hasn’t been lifted yet, so I assume no one has attempted to reassess their condition.” Husky frowned at this, concerned. “Where the devil is Rottweiler, then?” he asked as he continued to pace. “He was supposed check on this first thing when he came in…” “With respect, sir, it may just be that it’s not safe to check yet.” Husky didn’t look convinced though, and if anything, seemed suspicious. “But if it helps, your majesty, we can have someone track down Rottweiler and confirm,” the administrator added. “See that you do.” Husky commanded as he turned his back on the Diamond Dog as he went to sit on the throne, thinking this would make him look more composed than anxiously pacing. He then added, “assuming this does fail, I will not be taking the responsibility for it…that will be up to the likes of you dogs.” That ominous condition laid down then, the administrators exchanged uncertain looks for a moment. “Getting back to the original topic,” the first continued. “Oh, please don’t,” Husky pleaded, hanging his head wearily. The administrator ignored him and pressed on regardless. “…Our core question is to ask just how long you intend to continue this fruitless search for the outsiders.” “However long is needed, I suppose.” Husky replied back. The administrator raised a brow at that. “You suppose.” “Woofus and the others are around here somewhere…aren’t they?” “That would be the question of the hour, your majesty. But as we discussed, the search has turned up little, has only seemed to disrupt operations across Sapphiria needlessly, and is wasting valuable resources the longer it continues without results. You majesty, to be blunt, we are starting to get to the point that we must ask if your insistence on this effort is really worth our best interests.” Husky looked up sharply, suddenly concerned in more than one way now. “What are you implying?” he asked, hesitant. The administrator breathed a reluctant sigh before responding, glancing at his fellows to see if they had any objects. When they didn’t speak up or move to stop them, he spoke bluntly. “That perhaps you are not the right Diamond Dog for this position after all.” Husky stared at them for a long moment, these words clearly not sitting well with him. Nevertheless, he drew himself up, trying to look confident. “I am,” he promised. The administrator chose to challenge that. “Then do you even have some kind of back-up plan in mind should this one fail?” Husky hesitated just long enough to make it clear that he didn’t. “We won’t need one,” he instead insisted. “I think I speak for all of us, your majesty, when I say that we respectfully disagree.” Husky’s frown deepened. “Well…” he stuttered, trying and failing to immediately devise a comeback, “…right now I still have the final say.” “Yes, for right now, your majesty,” the administrator seriously stated. “That is what we are trying to get at.” He took a deep breath and tried to address the subject more gently. “We are simply saying that we think it in your best interests to instead change your approach. It helps no one to drag this out too long. The pack prefers a routine and peaceful pattern to their lives after all, and this is preventing that.” “To that end, we think it would be more conducive to, instead of attempting to seal the targets within the city, relax the guard at the entrances and permit them the option to leave, seeing there is evidence that this is all they want,” the third administrator continued explaining. “Then, once they leave, we simply increase security at the entrances to ensure they or any of their allies cannot re-enter. Surely, they will be of no threat if they cannot get inside the city, correct?” Husky’s gaze, however, remained concerned and conflicted. “That doesn’t address our two prisoners, and for their own good, I do not want to have to imprison them indefinitely. It is bad enough already that they fell ill with tunnel fever. Hopefully they can be taken off our paws soon before anything worse can transpire.” “Then…why not offer the return of the prisoners to the outsiders in exchange for their agreement to leave and never return?” the second suggested. “And what of Woofus?” Husky inquired, his expression now darkening. The administrators exchanged glances. “It may be best to permit Sir Woofus liberty to leave Sapphiria at this point, your majesty,” the second replied. “Better to cut our losses of the matter than to create more trying to pursue vengeance.” Husky continued to gaze at them for a moment then slowly let it wander as it turned saddened. Abruptly, he let out a groan and let his head fall into his paws. The three administrators exchanged worried glances with each other. “You majesty, are you all right?” the second inquired. Husky shook his head. “No,” he mumbled. “No, I’m not all right. No one was…they shouldn’t have…this is…” he trailed off, unable to speak clearly as he bowed his head and took several deep breaths to try and steady himself. Then, abruptly, he slammed his paw against the armrest of the sapphire throne. “This has gone on long enough,” he growled darkly, rising and walking around the throne to the balcony at the back of the room. He gripped the balcony’s railing, peering at the underground city beyond as he came to a decision. “Look, I want this over with. You want this over with. So let’s stop dancing around the matter. Tell the guards, all of them, to expand the search to include everything. And that means everything, because I want everything in and out of this city searched in full, every square inch! Every building, every room, every body of water, every crevasse, anything big enough any one of the targets could fit into, and they are not to stop or allow themselves to be stopped by anyone or anything until they have found Woofus. Turn the whole city upside down if they have to, but I want it done through any means necessary.” The three administrators were immediately taken aback by this order. “But your majesty!” the first protested. “You’re suggesting intruding and disrupting upon the solitude of your subjects without their permission on a whim! It is an unjustified invasion of privacy!” “You wanted me to take more action, so that’s what I’m doing,” Husky snapped. “Now isn’t the time for naysayers like yourself to stand in the way! I’ve already done things you have asked of me, and it’s past time you administrators started returning the favor.” The three exchanged concerned glances. “As an understandable a goal that all is, your majesty, please try to be reasonable! We cannot possibly justify this order to the pack, not for a target that doesn’t pose that grave a threat or that we can be sure is even still in the city to begin—” “Then you’re relieved of duty,” Husky barked, whirling on the administrator and jabbing a claw at him. The three administrators gaped at him, taken aback. “You can’t do that!” the administrator in question proclaimed. “I just did,” Husky stressed. “I am the pack leader, not any of you three, and I will not allow you to take this chance from me by pushing me around and telling me what to do. So you’re relieved.” He stared down the administrator until he sighed, nodded his head, and backed down. He then jabbed his claw at the other two. “Will either of you do as I ask, or are we going to have a problem too?” The administrators exchanged glances, seeing their options were limited. It was clear they would only be removed from their positions too if they chose to argue. “No, your majesty,” they chorused. “Then snap to it.” The administrators reluctantly left, leaving Husky alone in the throne room, anxiously hoping this gamble was going to bring him the results he wanted at last. Meanwhile, as yet unaware of the new orders Husky had issued, Woofus was soon arriving at the dungeons deep below Pillar Castle. At its entrance, he found the usual pair of guards stationed there. Assuming he was just a lackey nobody, they bought Woofus’s cover story that Rottweiler had sent him to check on the prisoners and were more than happy to fill him in on the current situation. Not that there was much to report—the guards said they could hear the prisoners shout or make the odd ruckus throughout the night, but had largely quieted down now. They theorized the prisoners were probably past the worst of their supposed illness and were, hopefully, beginning to recover. Woofus told them that they were likely safe to visit, hoping the prisoners were coherent enough to talk now. But for appearances sake, he grabbed a staff and a neckerchief to tie over his snout. He then slipped through the dungeon entrance and down the unevenly-hewed stone tunnel, winding gradually downwards. Soon he was marching past the prison cells, growing more relaxed as he went knowing he no longer needed to maintain appearances quite as much. When he arrived before Ocellus and Smolder’s cell, he found its two occupants still safely inside. Smolder was currently asleep, zonked out sitting on the floor with her back against the cell’s right side wall, while Ocellus sat awake closer to the other side, near the cell bars, occupying herself by tracing patterns in the dirt floor with her hoof. Woofus pulled off his helmet as he approached, his movement grabbing Ocellus’s attention. “So…keeping busy?” Ocellus nearly did a double take when she realized who he was. “Woofus!” she declared in surprise. “How did you…?” “Snuck in,” Woofus interrupted, motioning first for her to keep quiet then to the armor he wore while he fumbled to pull out a ring of keys he had been keeping hidden in a satchel, “Hence the armor, to serve as a disguise. I’m here to try and get you two out of here.” Examining the keys, which Rottweiler had given him prior to setting off, he realized he wasn’t certain which one he needed to use and decided to start with the first and work down until he found it. As he did this, he focused his gaze on the sleeping dragon with a smirk. “Wore herself out, huh?” he couldn’t help but quip. Ocellus smirked as she followed his gaze. “Yes, I think she had a bit too much fun shouting around like she was delusional for half the night,” she commented before turning back to Woofus, watching him work with the lock. “We did as Rottweiler asked and only wound it down after we felt fairly certain we had convinced anyone who could hear us of our supposed…condition.” She motioned to the cloth still tied over the dog’s snout. “I take it they believe it, judging from the neckerchief.” “Quite, but never mind that now.” He tugged the neckerchief off to give the changeling a friendly grin while trying the next key on the ring. “Have you gotten any sleep?” “Enough,” Ocellus responded before chuckling, glancing around the cell. “Actually, it reminded me a little of back home.” Catching Woofus’s raised brow, she shrugged. “So home was never too lavish for me…but I’m sure you’re not interested in that.” Woofus grinned and shook his head, happier to just see the two all right. “This might take me a second,” he mumbled as he tried the next key. He paused to pull out a smaller bag from his satchel. “So might as well give you this now. It’s a light breakfast. I don’t know if it’ll be to your usual tastes, but I figured you’d be hungry by now, so…” “That’s okay, I’m not going to be picky,” Ocellus replied, reaching through the bars to take the bag from him. “Just so long as there’s no pyrite—Smolder seems to hate it.” “Speaking of, can you wake her up?” he asked, motioning to Smolder before moving to try the next key. “We’re not going to want to dawdle once I’ve got this open.” Here Ocellus hesitated, glancing nervously at her snoozing friend. “I take it you’ve never tried to wake a sleeping dragon before?” “Can’t say that I have…why, is that a problem?” “No…well…not if you’re…smart about it.” Ocellus scooted herself as far from Smolder as she could before picking up one of their empty dinner dishes in her magic. “You…might want to brace yourself.” She then gently chucked the dish at Smolder’s head. It didn’t hit too hard, but the result was immediate as the dragon snapped awake with a startled burst of blue-yellow firebreath, followed by a string of curses unfit for repeating, before finally she shook herself and, with an annoyed glare, looked around. Her eyes settled upon Woofus and Ocellus, having both pulled back in fright at the dragoness’s violent awakening. Woofus could see what Ocellus had meant. “Good morning,” he said with faint sarcasm. Smolder rubbed at her eyes before looking at him again, his identity finally registering in her awakening mind. “Woofus?” she asked, surprised. “What are you—?” “I’m going to try and get you two out of here,” Woofus explained in brief as he went back to the keys, moving on to the next one. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to try too many more. “Just as soon as I can get this lock open.” “In the meantime, here,” Ocellus said, who had opened the bag of food and pulled out the biscuits and lettuce clearly meant for her, tossing the rest to Smolder. Smolder took one look inside and immediately broke out into a grin. “Aw yeah!” she cheered as she reached in and pulled out a polished gem. “This is what I’m talking about!” She bit into it with relish. “Mm! And these are the good kind!” Woofus, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to flinch at the crunching sound of the dragoness’s every bite. “I collected a few miscellaneous gemstones from the royal stores on my way here,” he explained. “Nothing anyone is probably going to miss. Much.” Smolder rolled her eyes as she stood up and stretched. “I don’t get you Diamond Dogs, collecting all of these yummy gems and then doing absolutely nothing with them except storing them.” She popped another gem into her mouth. “Seriously, what’s the point of even having them if you aren’t—” There was a sudden click at the cell door. “Got it!” Woofus proclaimed as he pushed the unlocked door open and motioned for the two to hurry out. They didn’t need any second bidding. One of the first things Ocellus did once she was out was try to light her horn and shift forms, but found she still couldn’t do so. “That probably isn’t going to work here,” Woofus explained when he noticed. “The dungeons throughout here are lined with deposits of azurite, so to dampen the abilities of any spellcasters.” He pulled out a pair of cloaks from his satchel. “Here, put these on instead.” “So what is the plan?” Smolder asked as she slipped the cloak over her head. “There’s two ways in and out of the dungeons,” Woofus explained as he closed the cell door and motioned for the pair to follow him. “The main entrance leading into the castle itself, and a second back entrance that leads into the city, used to ferry supplies directly into the dungeons when needed. Of the two, the back entrance is sealed with a heavy metal door and thus requires fewer guards. But the door is locked from the inside, so it’ll be a simple matter for us to unlock it and slip into the streets. That just leaves getting past the guard, and Rottweiler told me that post changes shifts in just a few minutes. If we can get there in time for that change, there will be a brief window in which the entrance will be unguarded, and then we can slip out of here and back to the others.” Smolder nodded in approval, biting into a round white gem like an apple. “Sounds like a plan,” she said. Ocellus, meanwhile, had other concerns. “Where are the others, anyway?” she asked. Woofus realized he hadn’t said yet. “They’re keeping guard nearby, watching out for trouble,” he explained as he led the way deeper into the dungeons, keeping them close to the walls of the corridor, just in case. “Gallus and Rottweiler are inside the castle, staying near the throne room and looking out for any news that could mess things up, while the rest are outside, watching for us as well as any trouble that could take place out there. Hopefully, though, nothing eventful will happen to any of them.” Regrettably, that wasn’t actually proving to be the case. Rottweiler and Gallus were already running late getting into the former’s desired position because part way there he was stopped by a pair of guards squabbling over a logistics dispute and needed him, a superior officer, to help settle it. This took around fifteen minutes to do, during which Gallus was left sitting and waiting within his hiding spot, growing increasingly conscious of how all that was keeping him hidden was one flimsy cloth covering and hoped no passing Diamond Dog would get curious and find him in here. Fortunately, this didn’t come to pass and soon they were moving on, though more anxiously due to the delay. Gallus even found himself wondering if Woofus, who he knew had gotten into the castle ahead of them by design, may have already rescued Ocellus and Smolder by now. While they were going through a quiet and empty side corridor, the griffon asked Rottweiler about that, but he was confident that they hadn’t been delayed for that long. Nevertheless, he was feeling the pressure too. But they never actually reached their intended position as they were again stopped, this time by a squadron of guards hurrying by, all armed and dressed in full field attire. Not expecting this, Rottweiler pulled one of the passing guards aside and demanded an explanation. “New orders from his majesty, sir!” the young guard reported with a salute. “All guards are to head out into the city and search all locations within for the missing outsiders, using force if necessary to quell anyone who may resist!” “What?” Rottweiler rumbled, who of the many things he expected Husky to try today, this had been rather low on the list. “I’m surprised you hadn’t already heard, sir!” the guard continued, though he was intimidated somewhat Rottweiler’s stern reaction to this news. “Sir Husky is looking for you. With respect, I think he wants you to report in.” “Oh, I’ll report in, all right,” Rottweiler growled darkly as he about faced the cart so to stalk off in a different direction, all without dismissing the young guard, leaving the Diamond Dog momentarily uncertain if he was free to go. Gallus was quick to notice the change in course. “What are you doing?” he hissed, peeking slightly out from under the cart’s cover. Rottweiler pushed him back down again without slowing. “Intervening,” was his only response. Gallus could only speculate about what that was supposed to mean until, shortly thereafter, he realized they had arrived outside the doors to the throne room. There, Rottweiler simply pushed Gallus and the cart into one corner of the room and, without giving the griffon inside any clue what he was planning—other than it wasn’t supposed to be part of their plan at all—marched right up to the throne room doors. “I’m here to speak with Sir Husky,” he explained to the royal guards stationed there without slowing. The guards, perhaps taken aback by Rottweiler’s stern demeanor, hesitated to comply. “Uh, sir, perhaps we should announce you to his majesty first…” “Tough,” Rottweiler interrupted as he threw open the throne room doors himself. “Sir Husky! A word, please.” Husky was standing before his throne and speaking with a nervous aide, looking not especially happy himself, but he immediately jumped and turned to face the dog marching into the room. “Rottweiler!” he exclaimed, waving the aide away as he moved to approach his guest. “Where the devil have you been? I’ve been looking for you all morning!” Rottweiler didn’t answer. “What’s this I hear about you giving orders to effectively raid the city in search for Woofus?” he asked instead as he came to stand before the acting ruler, arms folded. Being just slightly taller than Husky, he made sure he appeared to tower over the younger Diamond Dog. Husky stood his ground though. “Hopefully, I’m doing what it’s going to take to end this matter, Rottweiler,” he replied. He moved to turn. “There’s not much more to it than that.” “No one will stand for this,” Rottweiler warned, watching Husky’s movements closely. “The administrative staff will stop you, if not remove you from the throne entirely, if you go through with this.” “Not if I remove them first,” Husky challenged back, changing his mind and facing Rottweiler again. “You can’t do that,” Rottweiler growled warningly. “And why not?” Husky snapped, becoming emotional. “I am the pack leader! I should have the last say, and yet—and yet—those stuffy administrators have been bossing me around like I’m their pawn from the beginning! And I’m tired of idiot dogs who think they know what’s best for me try and tell me what I can or cannot do! I can look after myself, so no more! They are not taking this from me, not when I’ve gotten this far! We have outsiders wandering—” “This isn’t about the outsiders at all!” Rottweiler snapped back, any restraint he had previously been showing now gone. “This is about Woofus, and how badly you want to one-up him for petty reasons that aren’t even worth all of this!” “How do you know anything about it?” Husky argued back. “You weren’t the one who got a back turned to by his best friend! But this is my chance to right that wrong! He wouldn’t give me his attention then, so I will darn well make sure I get his attention now! I just have to find him, and you will fall in line and obey my orders to at least give me that much, Rottweiler, or I’ll have you replaced too!” “You won’t find Woofus, Husky,” Rottweiler growled, ignoring for now the implication that Husky may have already had high-ranking staff replaced for insubordination. “Not with him constantly staying one step ahead of you.” “And what makes you so sure that’ll even last?” Husky demanded, staring Rottweiler down. His eyes then widened slightly as a realization hit him. “You know where he is, don’t you?” Rottweiler only continued to stare down Husky. “You can’t prove that.” “You’re not denying it either, though,” Husky was quick to note, deciding he had heard enough. “Guards, restrain him!” The two royal guards who had cautiously followed Rottweiler into the throne room, already suspecting there was going to be a confrontation, immediately closed the remaining distance between them and seized Rottweiler, forcing him onto his knees. Rottweiler did not resist, but the dark glares he was giving made it clear he was not happy. Husky wasn’t happy either. “I was already starting to think you were up to something,” he muttered, disappointed, as he peered down at his chief security advisor. He heaved a sorrowful sigh. “I’m sorry to see I was right, much less that you chose to support Woofus.” He leaned closer. “Where is he, Rottweiler?” Rottweiler didn’t reply, choosing to keep his silence. “What is it you all are planning?” Husky asked next. He still got no response, so he looked to the two guards holding Rottweiler in place. “I don’t suppose you two might at least have a clue as to what he’s been up to this morning?” The two royal guards exchanged nervous looks. They weren’t fools—they knew that with Husky’s present state of mind, one wrong move and they could end up in Rottweiler’s place too. “Well…he did come in pushing a cargo cart,” one of the two hesitantly offered, “but he left it outside the throne room.” Husky’s eyes flicked upwards to where the cart could be just visible outside the still-open doors, just in time to see edge of the cart’s covering flutter back into place. “Did he now?” He snatched a spear from the royal guard to his left and moved around the three and out of the room towards the cart. As he passed two new royal guards who had already come to fill the spots the first two had vacated, he silently signaled for them to follow him. Together, they cautiously approached, Husky taking the lead as he grabbed the cloth covering with one paw and whisked it back with one fluid movement. Gallus reacted instinctively and thrusted his spear out of the cart and at Husky. Husky, however, dodged the reckless jab, grabbed Gallus’s spear mid-thrust with his free paw while at the same time bringing his own spear to bear at the griffon’s neck, rendering him pinned. “Well, look who we have here,” Husky declared coldly as the two royal guards immediately moved to restrain the defiant looking Gallus. Meanwhile, outside the castle and still at their rooftop hiding spot, Sandbar, Silverstream, and Yona couldn’t not notice the sudden flurry of squadrons upon squadrons of guards pouring out of the castle and flooding the streets as they fanned out. “What are they doing?” Silverstream murmured as they anxiously watched them rapidly draw nearer to their location. “Yona not like this,” Yona murmured as she nervously nibbled on one hoof. “Something go wrong, yak know it!” Sandbar, using a pair of binoculars Rottweiler had given them, was biting his lip as he scanned the movements of the guards. “It looks like they’re raiding their own city!” he proclaimed in dismay. “They’re barging into every building and ransacking them, searching for something…I think they’re looking for us!” Silverstream whistled in awed fear at this aggressive change in tactics. “They’re not messing about now, are they?” “What we do?” Yona asked as they eyed one squad rapidly making its way down their street and towards their location. “Diamond Dog guards will find Yona and friends here!” “Not if we’ve got anything to say about it, Yona,” Sandbar promised as he quickly scanned the rooftop for inspiration. “We just need a plan, and fast!” His eyes then fell upon the rubbish chute. “I’ve got it!” Just a matter of minutes later, a small squad of five guards burst through the house’s front door. As the house was already vacant, their messy search of its two floors went rapidly, and soon all five of them were regrouping so to storm the roof. When they did, they immediately found Sandbar and Silverstream standing at the roof edge, whirling around to face the intruding guards. “Halt and surrender!” the leader of the group shouted as all five brought their spears to bear on them. When the two hesitantly put their forelegs up, he nodded at them. “Are you going to come quietly?” “Actually, we were thinking about maybe threatening you,” Silverstream admitted brightly. The guards surveyed them briefly. “You are hardly in a position to be making threats,” the leader remarked. “You’re unarmed and outnumbered.” “I like those odds!” Silverstream remarked brightly and turned to her friend. “You like those odds, Sandbar?” “I think we can work with them, definitely,” Sandbar agreed with a nod. The leader frowned, not liking that that they were trying to toy with him. “Have you forgotten what we have at our beck and call?” he reminded. “Because, in case you did, remember that we have an army.” Sandbar wasn’t swayed. “We have a yak.” It was then that Yona burst out of where she had been hiding behind a box planter, right under the noses of the guards, and with the traditional shout of “Yak smash!” she rammed herself into the first four guards before they even had much chance to react, shoving them into the rubbish chute on the other side of the roof. The remaining fifth guard, a newbie of rather low rank standing to the back of the group, listened in shock to the sounds of his squad mates thumping and bumping as they tumbled down the chute before it ended with a wet squelch as they hit the rubbish heap at the bottom. He then turned and stared back at the yak, hippogriff, and pony that were regrouping and closing in on him. He brandished his spear hesitantly as he started backing up, but well aware he was the one who was outnumbered now and not liking his odds at all, he decided to flee instead and started running back for the stairs leading off the roof. He only got partway before getting tackled from behind by Silverstream. “Just a moment!” she said cheerily as she and Yona pinned him down. “We’re not done with you just yet.” The panicked guard desperately but fruitlessly tried to wiggle free, but as Sandbar moved to stand in front of him, he patted him reassuringly with one hoof. “Relax, bud, we don’t want to hurt you,” he promised with a friendly grin. “But we do want to know exactly what is going on here.” “…so wait, you’re seriously saying this is all just because he flunked an exam?” Smolder remarked incredulously as Woofus led them through the corridors of the castle dungeons. They were proving to be quite long and winding, so at their request, Woofus was filling her and Ocellus in on the backstory between him and Husky. “Dude! I flunk exams all the time and you don’t see me being a jerk about it! Let alone take somebody’s throne from them!” “As I already explained,” Woofus repeated patiently, “Husky didn’t so much take the throne as I voluntarily vacated it, and he happened to be the next one to fill it.” Smolder gave the Diamond Dog a skeptical look. “I don’t know, Woofus,” she said as she pulled out another gem to munch on. “Kinda sounds to me like he only did it to get back at you.” Woofus frowned, but didn’t respond, focusing on leading the way as he preferred to keep the rest of his attention on that anyway. He was also trying not to flinch at the sound of Smolder eating the gems. After all, he knew if any other dogs saw her doing that to gems from the royal stash, there would be protesting. All gems were coveted by Diamond Dogs, it was their way. Seeing them destroyed, especially from a stash seen as theirs, was usually heart-wrenching no matter what. But he also knew that, right now, Smolder needed them a bit more than he did, and he kept telling himself they were just sitting in a room anyway. Ocellus, meanwhile, was reviewing Woofus’s story in her head. “I’m not so sure of that, Smolder,” she said thoughtfully. “None of us really know the whole story of why Husky chose to pursue the throne. His reasons may have been totally unrelated, and the fact that happened to put him in position to do…well…all of this, may just be incidental. After all, from what Woofus told us about why he left at all, he wouldn’t have much reason to assume Woofus would be coming back anytime soon.” But Smolder was unconvinced, shaking her head. “Nah, he totally did it out of spite,” she promised. “Trust a dragon on this.” Ocellus frowned, but chose not to argue further. “Either way,” she said, focusing her attention on Woofus, “If that’s all it is, I wish you two could sit down and talk this through. If you really were friends once, surely you can still find a way to make peace with each other.” Woofus shook his head though. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” he admitted sadly. “Husky has already shown he doesn’t wish to listen, and trying is only causing more problems. No, it’s better to cut my losses, as before.” Ocellus and Smolder was silent for a moment, eyeing Woofus as he led them up to a corner in the end of the tunnel. “Well, that’s depressing,” Smolder remarked snidely. “And you’re talking to a dragon here. Dragons usually don’t own up to that, so…” “Shh,” Woofus hissed, motioning for them to be quiet and to stay back. “We’re here. The rear entrance is just a few feet around this corner.” Moving slowly and cautiously, he leaned forward just enough to steal a peek around the edge, only to immediately pull back. “The guard’s still there,” he whispered. Smolder frowned. “I thought you said they were going to be changing guards right about now?” “They are,” Woofus answered. He rolled his eyes up as he thought. “We’re probably early, though. Give it a minute or two.” They did. But even after ten minutes it was clear the guard was not leaving. “So much for that plan,” Smolder grumbled as it became clear there was no changing of the guard anytime soon. “I don’t understand,” Woofus muttered to himself, frustrated. “It should be now…either we arrived later than I thought, or the schedule was changed without Rottweiler’s knowing.” “We don’t really have the time to keep waiting though, do we?” Ocellus asked quietly. When Woofus sighed softly and shook his head, she went on. “So what should we do? Go back?” “I say we take this guy out,” Smolder remarked while rooting through her bag of gems in search for a good one to munch next. “I mean, it’s just one guard, right? We could take him.” Ocellus whined. “I would really rather not.” “Besides, he’d only raise the alarm afterwards,” Woofus reasoned. “Who cares about that?” Smolder whispered, pulling out a gem only to wave it around as she spoke. “Just so long as it gives us a moment to slip the heck out of here, right?” “But after the alarm is raised, they’d likely only increase the guards at the exits out of Sapphiria,” Woofus pointed out. “And enough guards are there already.” “So we’d basically still be imprisoned, just in a massively bigger cell,” Ocellus concluded. “Well, what else do you suggest?” Smolder asked, raising the gem to her mouth, ready to bite into it. “If we can’t go that way, then we might as well just…” She trailed off, letting the gem sit on her lips as she watched Woofus. He had been watching the gem’s every movement since she pulled it out of the bag. Watching him closely and raising a brow, she proceeded to wave the gem around, noting Woofus’s eyes followed its every movement. She then gazed at the gem curiously for a second, a thought coming to her. “Woofus, didn’t you say these gems were special or something earlier?” “I said they were from the royal stores,” Woofus responded. “So…does that make them extra special or something?” “Well, if they’re in the royal stores, then they’re usually of especially rare quality—the best of the best.” Smolder regarded the gem for a second, smirking slightly. “Just how badly would any Diamond Dog want to get their paws on one of these?” “I’d imagine a great deal.” Woofus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why are you asking?” Smolder merely grinned, waving the gem back and forth a few times to watch Woofus’s eyes follow it before bringing it back to her lips, thinking mischievously. Ocellus had already figured out what she was planning. “Don’t even think about it,” she whispered. This only made the smirk grow. “Oh, I’m totally thinking about it,” Smolder whispered back. Then, before either of them could stop her, the dragoness rounded the corner and proceeded to stroll right up to the guard standing at the door, plain for all to see. “Hey! You!” The guard’s reaction was almost immediate. “Hey!” he exclaimed, raising his spear and rushing towards her. “Stop right there! How did you get out?” “Oh, never mind about that,” Smolder said smugly, unfazed by the guard hurrying towards her, so much so the guard slowed in surprise. “Besides, why care about that, when I’ve got this?” She then raised the gem up before the guard, who immediately halted at the sight of it. His eyes went alight, but at the same time, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Where did you get that?” he asked. Smolder’s glee at his reaction was clear. “The royal stores.” Now the guard’s eyes bulged. “But…how did you…?” “You want it?” Smolder then asked, adjusting her hold on the gem as if offering it. The guard sputtered. “Well…I…that is I…of course I’d want a gem from the royal stores, but…” he started towards her again, “…did…did you steal…I really shouldn’t even…” “Hey!” Smolder barked, interrupting, and thrust the gem at him aggressively. “Sit and listen!” The guard immediately sat and gave Smolder his full attention. Surprised, Smolder stared at him for a second then lifted the gem up higher. “Now stand.” The guard stood. The smirk returned to Smolder’s lips. No way, she thought. “Sit.” The guard sat again. Highly amused, Smolder turned to look back at her cohorts, to see if they were watching. They were, having both come around the corner so to rescue her if needed, and their mixed reactions to this development only amused the dragon more. Ocellus was shooting Smolder a disapproving but incredulous stare. Woofus, meanwhile, had both paws pressed to his face in utter embarrassment that this was even working. Unrepentant though, Smolder motioned for them to come out. “All right, big boy,” she said, turning her attention back to the guard as the other two headed for the door. “You still want this gem?” The guard hesitated, his eyes going back and forth between the gem and the door he was supposed to be guarding. “Well…yes…” he admitted, starting to stand, “…but…” “Ah-ah! Sit!” Smolder commanded, thrusting the gem out. The guard immediately sat, his attention back on the gem. She waved it back and forth, watching his head twist back and forth to watch it. “Now beg!” The guard moved immediately into a begging position. “Roll over!” The guard flopped onto his front and rolled completely over. “Spin!” The guard jumped up and ran in a circle. “Play dead!” The guard melodramatically acted out a blow to the chest and flopped over onto his back. By this time, Ocellus and Woofus had pulled open the rear door, so Smolder held out the gem as a lure and started backing towards it, enticing the guard to follow. “Now you want this? You want this?” “Yes!” the guard declared, tail wagging as he blindly followed Smolder out the door and onto a short incline of soil leading up to the city level. “Yes, yes!” “Then goooooooo fetch!” Smolder declared and, spinning around, hurled the gem as hard as she could into the sky, only to be almost bowled over as the guard shot off after it like a dart, quickly vanishing from view. Woofus and Ocellus, closing the door behind them, joined Smolder as they stared after the guard. “Well,” Woofus remarked, his tone utterly flat. “At least I know something Rottweiler will want to address with the guards after this is all over.” He then motioned for Ocellus and Smolder to fully cover themselves with their cloaks and follow him. They clambered up the incline and onto the street running adjacent to Pillar Castle, but didn’t get far before they had to duck down behind some trash cans, watching as a different group of guards raided a nearby house. “What the…?” Woofus murmured, taken aback. He watched in puzzlement as the guards ransacked the building, clearly searching for something, while the owners were left standing outside at spearpoint. The owners were of course protesting every second of it, and Woofus couldn’t understand why the guards were doing it at all, until he heard one of the guards apologize to the owners, saying they were under orders from the pack leader. Ocellus gulped. “They’re looking for us,” she realized. “Pretty aggressively too,” Smolder agreed, then flinched when she felt something prod her back, turning to see the rear door guard had gleefully returned with the gem she had thrown, and from the eager look in her eyes, she could tell he was expecting her to do it again. “Really?” she asked, incredulous. “Really? You really came back just for me to—oh, all right, fine!” She took the gem and hurled it as far as she could in a random direction and once more the guard shot off to chase it. Ignoring this, Ocellus watched the raid continue. “If they’re searching for us this aggressively, how are we ever going to get past them all unnoticed?” she asked. Woofus, however, had become filled with dread as he realized what had happened. “It’s worse than that,” he murmured, shaking his head in dismay. “Husky ordered the guards to do this.” “…I don’t understand.” “The guards were searching hard before, but not this hard…searching this hard is…insane. Look at how the guards are treating these innocent Diamond Dogs like criminals, all just in the name of finding you or me…Husky has overstepped his boundaries even as pack leader to order this.” “It looks like it’s widespread too.” Ocellus pointed with her hoof. “I can see similar raids taking place further up the street.” Woofus looked and winced. “Husky must be truly desperate if he’s resorted to this…but why hasn’t anyone stopped him? Even the administrative staff wouldn’t stand for this, and they’d have the power to overrule him…” He shook his head. “Something has gone very wrong.” Ocellus looked at the shellshocked dog. “So what are we going to do?” Woofus didn’t reply right away, his gaze faraway and determined as he stared out at the unjust raids taking place before them. Meanwhile, Smolder was speaking behind them. “What, you’re back again? Fine, just one more throw then no more, now give me the gem. No, drop it—drop it!” Woofus continued to remain silent for a few more moments then sighed, removing the helmet he wore. “I can’t let this continue,” he finally concluded. “Go fetch!” Smolder said as she threw the gem for a third time before turning the others. “So what are we doing now?” she asked, having not been paying attention. “And can we hurry and do it before Mister Best and Brightest comes back? Honestly, I don’t know how Husky couldn’t have gotten into the royal guard, if that guy’s any indication of their standards.” Woofus turned to face her and Ocellus, his decision made. “Okay, look,” he explained to the two quickly and pointed with one claw. “Sandbar, Yona, and Silverstream should be on a roof of a house not far from here. It’s a two story building with a decorative wall surrounding it. Head up a street, then down that road four blocks, third house of the left where the front of Pillar Castle would be fully in its view from the roof, you can’t miss it. Once you’re there, have them signal to regroup with Gallus and Rottweiler, then tell Rottweiler to go ahead with what he has planned. He thinks he has a way to slip you all back to the surface if you work together.” He put a paw on each of their shoulders. “Stick together, keep your cloaks on, watch out for the guards, and don’t do anything to draw attention to yourselves.” Ocellus frowned, realizing Woofus had excluded himself entirely from these plans. “And what are you going to do?” she asked. Woofus averted his gaze. “Turn myself in to Husky.” Smolder did a double take. “Wait, what? But you—” But Woofus wouldn’t argue the matter. “I can’t just stand by and let this happen!” he said, pointing a claw at the raided house, the guards now in the process of finishing but leaving the house in total disarray. “This isn’t right! And I don’t know why Husky has chosen to resort to it, but we know it’s me he really wants! Not you! Not really! So if he’s going to resort to things like that until he finds me…then I know what I need to do.” “The hay you do!” Smolder started to object. “Look, we’ll come with, and together we can show that Husky…” “No,” Woofus interrupted, and sighed, handing Ocellus his helmet. “Look, this isn’t your fight. None of you should have ever gotten involved in this, and it’s my fault you did. Besides…this is my home…and I can help save it from…that.” He motioned again to the raided house. “And…I probably belong here more anyway. So please…you both know this will work, and Husky won’t care about the rest of you once he has me. Why would he? So let me do this, before things get even more out of control.” Ocellus, her ears drooping, still hesitated. “Woofus,” she said sadly, “we’re your friends. We want to help.” Woofus looked them both over and grinned faintly. “Yes,” he agreed, with some pride. “Yes, you are both my friends. Great friends…and I’m glad to have met you. So as your friend…please let me help you get out of here, by giving you the chance you need to escape.” He then took in a deep breath and turned to face Pillar Castle again. “Besides,” he continued, “it’s past time I faced my other friend.” Then before the girls could have any more chance to try and talk him out of it, he hurried off, turned a corner, and was gone from view. Ocellus and Smolder stared after him solemnly for a long moment. Until Smolder felt a familiar tap on her back again. “You again?” the dragoness snapped as she faced the guard and his gem once more. “Oh for—gimmie that!” She hurled the gem as far as she could and the guard raced off the chase it once more. She then turned to face Ocellus. “So we’re not actually letting Woofus go and do this on his own, right?” “Oh, acorns no!” Ocellus immediately agreed. “You go to the house and tell the others what’s happening. I’ll go and catch up with Woofus.” “And how are you going to do that without getting caught?” Smolder asked. Ocellus looked at her for a beat, then with a flash of magic, transformed into a splitting image of one of the Diamond Dog guards, in full armor except for the helmet, which Ocellus simply used the one Woofus had handed her instead. “Oh right, changeling,” Smolder said, answering her own question with a grin and waved Ocellus on. “You go, girl!” Then, as the disguised Ocellus hurried off in pursuit of Woofus, she turned and headed the other way in what she was fairly confident was the direction she was told to go to get to the house. That is until a certain guard with a gem came running eagerly up to her again. “OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!”