I awoke early. I looked to my dogs, watching their sleeping forms for a moment. I got up and, idly flipping Spot's blanket back over him, I left the room. I turned for where I remember the bathroom was, passing a few unused rooms doing so. I paused when I heard a faint hard knocking sound, but ignored it for my own bodily needs.
Once my business was done, I returned to our given room. Using what little space I had, I went through a quick routine of stretches and exercises. Afterwards, I focused on my magic. That's right, I had magic. I discovered it when I asked Rover about where the excess dirt was going1. He looked at me before explaining that a Dog's innate magic prevents it from expanding. They could also super compress it to brace and shore up tunnel walls. He gave me some exercises they teach pups. After my routine, I quietly belted my blade on before slowly pulling on my coat. I soon had my bedding rolled up and tied to my pack. Nodding to myself, I stepped out into the tunnel.
I had kept an ear on the knocking noise all morning and, while it slightly changed in tone or pitch, it hadn't stopped except for the briefest of moments.
I followed my ears, stepping as lightly as I could. Soon, I found myself in a kitchen of sorts. Looking around, I quickly spotted Zeva at a counter, staring at the wall in front of her while her paws deftly minced a potato on the counter. My gaze drifted over the other cut and prepared food. Salted meat lay a few feet away on a separate cutting board. I watched as Zeva slid the cuttings from her current board onto a pan with the knife while grabbing a second potato with her other paw.
“You might as well come in.” Zeva's soft voice drifted to me. “I know you're standing there.”
I took a few steps into the room. “Sorry.” I rumbled. “Didn't want to startle you-”
“I'm blind, not stupid.” She interrupted, her chopping growing slightly harder. “I heard you shuffling to the bathroom earlier.”
I nodded. “And how did you know I was in the doorway?”
“I didn't.” The slivers of potatoes slid into the pan as a third took their place. “Not for sure. For a larger breed, you know how to move quietly.”
“Had to.” I shrugged, my mind turning to my fragmented memories. “Grew up... on the surface. Alone. It was very difficult at first. Didn't really get any easier.”
“Sounds like you had a hard life?” Zeva pressed.
“I did.” With no further words coming, Zeva let the matter drop. I moved to a vacant stool and sat down, content with watching the dachshund work.
Soon enough, she spoke up again. “I hate to impose, but could you start the fire for me?” She asked, pointing to a wood stove. I could see some embers still clinging to life within it's confines. “I usually end up hurting myself with the flint and steel.” She placed the knife down after scraping the last potato into the pan.
“Sure.” I arched an eyebrow while moving for the wood box. I quickly made a small pile of tinder within the stove, gently resting on the embers. With careful puffing, I soon had the tinder burning. Slowly, I added larger and larger pieces until I had a proper fire going.
“Odd.” Zeva tilted her head. “I didn't hear any rasping...”
“Didn't need to.” I glanced at her. She had shifted over to the meat, cleaver raised in her up-stretched paw. Her feet, placed shoulder width apart, lifted slightly from the force of her chop. “You never hurt yourself, didn't you.”
With a small huff, she raised her muzzle. “What makes you say that?”
“You're chopping meat with strong overhead swings, with the knife not once landing near your other paw. You diced the potatoes with the speed and precision of a dog that can see.” I rumbled as I stood. I slowly stepped towards her as she rested the knife on the cutting board. “Both of which speaks highly of your spacial awareness and skill with your blade.” I trailed my gaze across her lithe form. “And you clearly had some formal training with your stance, which your toned muscles suggest you keep in practice of.
“All in all, I doubt you were ever clumsy enough to hurt yourself on something like flint and steal.” I stepped back and returned to the stool. “Like you said, you're blind, not stupid.”
She resumed her chopping with a chuckle. “You are good.” She said with a shake of her head. “And right. The surface is a difficult place...”
I felt the heavy foot falls long before their owner leaned into the kitchen. “How long fer breakfast?” Capricorn asked.
“Not too long.” Zeva answered, placing the first pan onto the stove top. “Give me about ten, fifteen minutes.”
“'Kay.” Capricorn's gaze turned to me. “Ya might as well git yer dogs up.”
I stood with a nod and left without a word.
“I took my measure of him.” Zeva's voice drifted to me.
“An'?”
I couldn't hear much more of the conversation as I came to my dogs' room. I thumped through the room, whipping blankets off of sleeping forms. “Up and at 'em, boys.” I smirked as I watched them squirm awake. “Pack up your rolls, in case we need to leave quickly. Breakfast is in fifteen, I'm going to talk with our host.”
I stepped out, only moving far enough so I wouldn't be heard.
“Bet he not packed yet.” Spot grumbled.
“No, he's packed.” Rover sighed. “Right, let's make sure this room is spotless...”
They're good lads. I thought with a smile. I made my way towards the dining room, intending to help set the table. I slowed when words drifted to me.
“... Can't and won't.” Missy stated. “Zeva needs us, no matter what she insists.”
“An' yet..?”
“I don't trust them. We know next to nothin' about them. They could just be bidin' their time until they have the perfect opportunity to off you, and then Zeva and I would be defenseless.”
“Ya know tha' ain't true.” Capricorn chuckled. “Zeva's tougher then tha'. She'd protect ya.”
“This isn't a jokin' matter!” Missy snapped. “Don't you think that this is just too perfect? A small band of plucky exiles comin' to rescue a kennel of bitches, like in the caretaker's old stories? Most of those don't end too well for us.” I heard as what sounded like plates clattered onto the table. “And the one leadin' them! He barely has any fur, no muzzle, and his ears look so very wrong! He doesn't even have a freakin' tail! He even shrugged off one of your blows! No wonder he grew up without a pack. Freakish mutant.”
“But a strong one.” Capricorn paused. “No pack t' learn from, t' raise 'im right. An' yet, here he is, with a coat an' sword fit fer a proper Alpha. There's somethin' abou' him, Missy. Somethin' tha' tells me he's gonna go places.”
Missy snorted. “Like rottin' in some mutt's trash heap.”
“Don' be to hard on him. He grew up with no pack, an' yet still made tha' fancy coat o' his?”
“He could'a stole it of some other mutt and be lyin'.” Missy scoffed. “Smokey tunnels, even Zeva can do tha'!”
Capricorn snorted this time. “I still think yer over thinkin' it.'
I shook my head and carefully moved away from the door. She'll keep me on my toes at least. After I was several steps away, I turned back for the dining room. Letting my feet fall with a bit more force, I called out. “Capricorn, you down here?”
“Yeah.” She replied as I poked my head into the room. “Ya need somethin'?”
Seeing that the table was mostly set, I moved into the room to get out of the doorway. “I was wondering if you had time to talk before breakfast.”
The mastiff shrugged. “So long's it don' take t' long.” She led me from the room. We didn't go far before she stopped.
“I'll be blunt.” I rumbled. “These are your tunnels. I would appreciate it if you could lead us to the point closest to Baltimare. My lads and I can dig our way from there.”
“Yea, Missy an' I can do tha'.”
I nodded. “Thank you. For the help and giving us a place for the night.”
Rover led my other dogs past us. “We can leave when you're ready.”
Capricorn watched them pass. “When do ya plan on leaving?”
“Right after breakfast.” I answered.
“Kay. I'll go help Zeva brin' it in.”
Breakfast passed in silence. I could feel Missy glaring at me for most of it. I didn't know what has caused her to be so angry with me, but I could work with it.
She'll keep me honest, if nothing else.
"So." Capricorn spoke up as the last few mouthfuls were scooped up. I turned to her, handing off my dirty plate to Spot. "Ya planin' on leavin' now." It was not a question.
Spot paused in placing the dirty dishes in a pile for later cleaning, while everyone else looked to me for my answer.
"I'm afraid so." I rumbled. "The sooner we can begin, the sooner we can make our collars." My dogs all nodded in agreement.
"Ya said tha' you'd take in strays? Ya ain't gone back on tha'?" The large dog confirmed. Once I had nodded, she looked to her girls. Missy gave Zeva's paw a slight squeeze, and both dogs gave slight nods, though Missy's carried a slight scowl with it. Capricorn smiled before continuing. "Then we'll take it."
"You give me one reason," Missy glared at me, "and I'll take you down myself!"
"Good." She blinked as I addressed her. "If you have any complaints, let me know. I cannot fix what I don't know." I leaned back in my chair, giving her a small smile. "If you'd like, you can poke holes in all my plans. Help me shore them up, and you might even find something that I missed. And, if you ever wish to leave, then I won't stop you. So long as you return your collar, of course."
Although she never stopped glaring, it did weaken slightly.
I leaned over the table. "Alright then. Are far have you dug into Baltimare?"
"Only far enough to raid the nearest farms." Zeva answered.
"How far are those from the suburbs?"
"'Bout twenty tailin's2 from th' farm nearest to th' houses." Capricorn rumbled. "Tha' farm's 'bout thirty, forty tailin's from our nearest tunnel."
I nodded. "Quite a way to go." I rumbled, steepling my fingers as I mused. I looked over at Spot and Fido. "You remember the fall back plan?" They nodded. "Fido, you and Zeva start packing this place up and prepping a fall back point at the start of our tunnels here. Only leave anything we can't easily replace, tear up, or anything we won't need."
"Why me?" Zeva asked as Fido shot me a thumbs up.
"You know this den well enough to not need a paw on the wall, and you gathered the ingredients for breakfast without any help." I smiled, knowing that she couldn't see it. "Fido can supply all the muscle you'd need." I looked over the rest of my dogs. "The rest of us with focus on extending the tunnels into the suburbs, while stocking up on any food stuffs we may need. Once we've tunneled far enough, we'll start raiding homes for gems and leather, as well as anything else we could make use of." I watched a grin spread across Missy's face.
It took us several days to dig the full distance, taking the time to put in the necessary traps and dead ends the Dogs were so found of. We had taken long enough for Fido and Zeva to finish their tasks. Once they had rejoined us, I had Zeva stay in the base. She would be in charge of sorting and storing our ill-gained loot. Right now, she was moving our perishable foods to the fall back point.
Fido had joined us in the tunnels, his strength helping speed up the excavation, especially alongside Capricorn. Spot was sent back to help Zeva and, since he was the fastest of us, to act as a messenger between us.
We stopped tunneling when we unearthed plumbing. Shoring up the walls with our own innate magics, we began to follow the pipes to the sewers.
I patted the brick wall we had dug up. "What time of day is it?"
Rover placed a paw against the dirt, closing his eyes. "Just after sundown, I think."
"Good." I stated. I stepped back and pointed at the wall. "Lets get this torn down. Quietly." I added as Fido wound up a punch. "I want to be able to put his back together as we come and go."
"Why should we care?" Missy asked.
"Let me answer with a question." I rumbled in response. "What would terrify ponies more: a small pack that they can easily track down and find, or one that seemingly vanish into thin air?"
"But they'd just get lost in our tunnels." Missy countered.
"That's already too close." I growled. "And what's stopping the Guard from methodically searching every tunnel. Sure, that'd give us time to pack up and leave, but they could always get lucky and follow the right tunnels. And that's just assuming that they don't have a unicorn that knows any tracking spells."
"In which case, being lead to a brick wall in the sewers will confuse or mislead them for longer then coming across a patch of dirt in the sewer wall." Rover nodded. He leaned in to study a part of the wall. "Capricorn? If you have any metal to spare, we could probably make some hinges. Put them here and here, and a deadbolt here," he pointed to a couple of bricks, "and we could make a door. Let us keep the mortar intact, which will hid the door on the other side."
"Jus' need a mark on th' other side." Capricorn nodded. "Fer us."
I leaned down and scratched a stylized flame inside a hexagon on the ground. "Think you can make a smaller version of this? Small enough to fit in a corner of a brick?"
Fido took a look at it, and scratched it in the dirt, making it smaller and smaller. The smallest one, he scratched into the middle of the wall. I smoothed out the dirt, before we all turned and left for the metal.