Pom, dogs close behind, travels to the south of town. She receives quite a bit of attention from passersby; confused at first, she realizes it's not because of her, but rather her 'floofballs' as deerfolk have been calling it. Upon arriving there is indeed a petrified tree as she were told, along with two deer examining it closely.
"If we were to cut inside it we may be able to see—" one of them, a smaller buck in a full-brim hat and scarf, begins.
"If we were to cut this tree it could severely damage the engravings on it!" the other, a larger buck with the same hat and spectacles, shouts. "You're keenly aware of the anthropological significance of this. It needs to be preserved, as is."
"I'm sorry, but not going anywhere until we get our answers!" the first says.
"Then you can sit on your rump until it sticks to the ground. This is important, we cannot act rashly."
Pom watches them for a moment, trying to follow along with one of their conversations. It's cut short, however, when Ruff breaks rank and starts running around the tree. The deer aren't quick enough to stop him, and before Pom intervenes he's already torn off a branch of the rock-like bark.
"Oh heavens above!" the second deer exclaims, dramatically fainting on the spot.
"Bad dog!" Pom shouts, snatching Ruff away from the site. She holds him firmly in place, stroking his head while he whines pitifully. The pair of deer surrounds Pom, angrily shouting at her and the dog.
"Do you understand the damage you've just done?!" they shout in unison.
"I'm sorry, he's a rambunctious lad." says Pom.
"That tree was to be used in an upcoming exhibit!" the smaller one shouts. "You've destroyed valuable archaeology!"
"It cannae be that bad, can it?" you say, picking up the branch and trying, failing, to reaffix it to the tree. "Maybe a spot of glue? It's not that bad."
"These symbols, they're a message from the ancients! They tell us how they lived!" the larger one sobs. "How can we learn that if you destroy the tree?"
"Who are 'the ancients?'" Pom asks.
"Why are you even here if you don't know that?! The ancient people who lived here before! They're your ancestors, for goodness sake!"
"But I'm not a deer..."
The larger buck sighs. "You don't seem to get it. We believe these runes date back to the age of predators, when all hooved races lived as one. These ARE your ancestors, and ours."
"I didn't know, I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't going to cut it here. This was an important discovery! It proves everything we've been saying!"
"I dinnae understand. What have you been saying?"
"That the predators weren't a single race. That they're a collection of races united by way of predation! They had their own cultures, even! This is the first time we've seen a written record from before the great war that wasn't made by an ungulate."
"Wait, if a predator wrote this is it really 'our' ancestors?" Pom asks. The deer glare in response; Pom can't really think of a way to respond, so she stays silent and hope for them to calm down. She stares at the runes; while she's not good at writing in general this these don't even resemble any language she'd ever seen. The markings, faint as they are, seem jagged and stiff, as though they were carved directly with claws rather than a proper tool.
Eventually, the duo of archeologists start to murmur amongst themselves. "We'll have to get a new sample." one says. Pom rings her bell, bringing the dogs close, and begins to sneak away with them, but the bell also alerts the pair of researchers.
"Oh no, you aren't getting out of this!" the smaller of them shouts, freezing Pom in her tracks.
"No offense, but she's not trained and would probably destroy evidence." says the larger.
"I... guess it's only some dirt. Maybe my pups could help dig?" Pom chimes in, trying to seem enthusiastic. "I mean, it can't be that hard if you two were able tae do this, aye?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothin', sorry."
They whisper to each other for about a minute, and then present the ultimatum. The spectacled deer steps forward. "If you wish to avoid trouble with the law, there is a limit to how far we can travel within a nearby archeology site. An expedition was recently conducted in the outskirts of the prairie after the discovery of a burial ground, but there was some kind of blockage preventing them from digging further."
"A burial ground! Hold on, you can't just dig those up, can ye?"
"Well we... no, we can't, but what the cattle don't know can't hurt them. We believe it contains a number of valuable artifacts, which would be a tremendous boon for the museum."
Pom steps back. "Yer asking me tae grave rob!"
"After a few years it's grave robbing. After several millennia it's archeology!"
"I dinnae feel comfortable with this at all..." she says. One of her dogs growls.
"Look, if you're caught, just say that you were following orders from the government."
"It's not my government! I don't think we've ever even voted on what to do about graverobbers!" she shouts, unaware of the legendary twelve-hour, graverobbing-themed filibuster that graced Baaah decades prior.
"Maybe you should just do it." Embracing the impromptu bad cop role the deer with glasses adds, "Unless you want to end up in a cell."
Pom think back to her previous cell visit. She could use another snack...
"Besides, those floofy things would love it!" Leaning down at the four pups the scarfed deer making a digging motion with his hooves. "How's that boys? Wanna dig? Wanna dig?" At mention of the word dig Tuft goes into a frenzy, tearing up the ground in front of him.
"No! Bad puppy!" Pom scolds.
"We'll tell the guards about this yard damage too. This is private property. Might get you for trespassing, even." the other adds.
"I... fine, I'll do it." Pom gathers the pack, defeated.
"Be sure to meet with us with your findings when you get back. Don't want you taking all the credit, we gave you the coordinates!"
Pom leaves without comment.
The only way out of Reine, besides the ports, is to pass through a large gate at the south border of town. A guard and sprite pass nervous glances of each other as they let Pom through, dogs in tow. They seem to look relieved?
After a day in the city the prairie feels silent. Mama walks ahead of the pack, but there's nary a creature. As the temperature rises grass begins to grow once again, satisfying Pom's stomach, but grass and cacti seem to be the only signs of life. She knew the cattle don't stay in one place often, but she expected to see something. The upside to this is the supposed burial site is just as deserted, so nobody needs to see her defile a grave. She's far enough away from those archeologists that she probably wouldn't see them again, is there any reason to actually do this?
Pom stand around, looking at the site while trying to process this. There are a few signs of previous attempts to dig the place up, even some tools left aside, but the actual ground looks untouched; it's not as though something was buried and dug up, but rather like nobody ever tried, despite being ready for it. These really aren't good people, they didn't even put the tools away neatly, as though they just dropped them where they were at and left.
"Och, I'm too sheepish, why does it feel so hard tae not do this?" Pom mumbles out loud.
She's paralyzed in thought for so long that she fails to stop Tuft from already digging. Sniffing around he quickly found one spot that caught his interest, and before Pom was aware of it he's so far beneath the surface that he can't be seen.
"Tuft! Bad! I already told you once not tae dig!" Pom shouts, following after him, running up to the hole—
Tuft is gone. There's no trace of him even, nothing but a deep, black hole.
Gasping, Pom immediately looks around the site for a rope or something that might be able to reach whatever is down there. Thankfully the archeologists were kind enough to leave some behind. Pom clears some space, instructing each of the dogs to hold onto the rope. The runt Woof holds on right behind Pom, Ruff and Puff behind him, followed by Big Mama, Big Papa at the back. Standing right at the hole Pom begins lowering the rope, shouting "Tuft, lad! When ye see the rope, bite down and hold on! We'll get ye out!"
Dangling her forehooves over the edge she cranes down to try and see ANYTHING below her, but the angle of the setting sun doesn't breach the hole. "Dinnae worry Tuft it'll be fine, it'll be—"
Things are not fine, Pom realizes as the ground crumbles beneath her hooves. She grabs onto the rope with her mouth, but with her added weight on the rope the pups start sliding toward the hole with her. First Woof falls, then Puff, then Ruff; Big Mama is at first able to hold on near the edge, but her mass is just too much for the crumbling ground and the entire area gives way, taking her and Papa. The six of them plummet down the hole, spiraling into the darkness.
It takes time for Pom's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave. The now-much-larger hole offers enough light that it's no longer pitch-black, but she still can hardly see anything between the shift in brightness and her disorientation. She's not really sure how she got so lucky; save for a few bruises she really wasn't harmed at all, all due to her light frame. The whole pack of dogs also seems fine, Tuft included. Pom is unsure how they'll get out, but at least they're all safe.
As the light levels become normal, though, Pom sees the red glint of a predator's glare.
And then a second.
And then a third.
And more still.
Not wasting time counting the eyes, Pom brainlessly runs straight forward into the blackness of the cavern, thinking of nothing but to escape the predators in her vicinity. She quickly realizes the mistake when, unable to see anything at all, she slams straight into a wall. She doesn't stop there though.
The cave system twists and turns and it's impossible to know where it might end up. Pom bumps into walls and trips on the uneven terrain over and over. Pom keeps running, though, never stopping. She eventually collapses as the burst of adrenaline fades, letting out a dying whine; she's grateful when she feels Big Mama come to her aid, helping her up. A moment later, the rest of the dogs appear by her side, all of them having evaded the predators.
Pom lets out a sigh of relief—that is until she starts hearing additional barks from behind and realizes that the wolves haven't stopped or even slowed their pursuit.
Pom hasn't the faintest idea where she is or where she's going in the darkness of the cave, or if there's even a place to go that isn't a dead end or back the way she came. Fortunately for Pom, her canines have their sense of smell to rely on, and they seem to be leading her somewhere specific.
Puff acts as a guide dog as they pack weaves through the tunnels in a confusing pattern. Every now and then Pom hears the barks of the wolves down one of the passages the dogs don't go down but they always fade away, none of them able to catch up.
After ten minutes of running, Big Mama suddenly stops dead in her tracks. Pom runs straight into her, ending her blind scramble for the moment.
"Mama?" whimpers Pom, receiving a low growl in response. Immediately after, Papa gets close to Pom, growling as well. Big Papa hasn't once wavered when it came to protecting the Sheeple and intimidating any enemy, but even he seems terrified of whatever it is that he's smelled. It can't just be a predator or two ahead. It has to be something much more.
They all pause for a few moments. Maybe the elder dogs spend this time debating whether to turn around and fight the predators, or meet whatever waits at the end of this path. Pom can't see whatever body language they exhibit during this, but ultimately they choose to face it. Mama gently nudges her forward, staying right next to her as Papa takes point. A short distance later Pom can sees the faintest glow of a light source, bringing a tiny spark of hope.
But, rather than an exit, she finds herself stepping out into a massive underground meadow.
The ceiling opens up to a point far above, and stalactites hang down like icicles, possessing some kind of bioluminescent plant making it glow. A field of tall grass sways in an impossible wind, and all around luminescent flowers bloom vibrant with all colors of the rainbow. A sparkling brook flows calmly through the scene, and though it looks shallow enough to walk through there's even a stone bridge to cross it. It's truly a sight to behold, a slice of home in a completely unexpected place.
Pom steps forward, wanting to take in the sights and smells of this surreal place, but is stopped by a loud whine from Mama. Pom turns to the dog who begins whimpering, licking Pom's face and placing a paw on her back pulling her close. Try as she might Pom can't see any danger, but all of the dogs look fearful and on edge. None of them want her to cross.
"What's wrong, lass? It's so beautiful, aren't we safe?" says Pom. Though they were pursued by the predators all throughout the caves, there haven't been any noises come from the tunnel they exited.
Papa warns the other dogs with a bark and then walks forward alone, raising his head to sniff the air as he approaches the bridge. He stops halfway and begins barking, hackles raised, a steady trickle of drool descending from his mouth.
"What's wrong boy? Are you okay? What's there?" Pom is about to go to him, despite his warnings, when she sees a red light growing in the tunnel she came from. It doesn't resemble anything the predators they've ran into can do; someone else has been following them, and they must have been smart enough to bring torches. It probably isn't one of the archeologists, they never would've gotten past the horde.
Actually, those tools... whoever was here before definitely did not get past the horde.
"Mama, watch the entrance. Pups tae me." instructs Pom. Whether they stay here or enter the meadow, something is about to happen.
The pups gather close as everyone waits for the light to approach. Papa stands, hackles raised, teeth bared, ready to fight to the death. Mama's fur bristles as she stands in wait for the stranger.
Pom is surprisingly not so interested in the incoming visitor, though. When she looks toward the bridge her heart pounds in her chest. Something draws her toward the meadow... but something unknown keeps her back.
Pom takes a few steps forward; Papa turns to her barking angrily, demanding she stay put. Though she steps no further, she strains her neck trying to see if there's anything visible causing him to act like this.
Suddenly Mama growls, snapping Pom's attention away from the meadow. The source of the red light is here, and it is not a torch.
"You would be wise to listen to your companions, little one. They know exactly what lies here."
Fire. It is a creature of fire, emanating from its body, the harsh orange-red lights overpowering the soft glow of the plant life and transforming the atmosphere of the calm meadow into something foreboding, as if an actual wildfire is spreading across it. The creature steps past Mama, who remains alert but allows it to happen, and trots directly toward Pom. She's frozen in fear as it approaches, trying to understand what she's seeing; she has the time to notice it has hooves and not the clawed feet of predators, and its general gait is similar to her own. The embers dropping from its back and fiery tail lick the plant life as the creature walks, singing the flowers. Though hard to tell the color in this bizarre lighting circumstance, its hide is made of green scales, a lighter color trailing from its lower jaw to its underbelly and a darker color making up the rest.
It stops in front of Pom, the heat from its body washing over her, especially that of the fiery mane atop its head. Beneath the mane two ruby eyes stare at her. They're bisected by elongated pupils, but not the horizontal pupils of a goat; they're a vertical slit, eyes made to focus on one particular thing. In this case, Pom.
They're the eyes of a predator.
It's as if a predator tried taking the shape of an ungulate as a sick joke.
It opens its mouth, speaking with a feminine voice. "I had heard the sounds of another in this cave, but I must admit I'm surprised to see a lamb, particularly one so small. Your kind live in a meadow, do they not? This place may actually look inviting if that's the case, but do not be fooled by appearances. The greatest evil is present with you right now."
Saying nothing Pom takes a step back, placing a hoof on the bridge.
"No, stop." the scaled creature instructs sternly, taking a step forward. "You must not proceed."
Pom takes a few more steps back, desperate to gain distance from the heat, to claim a moment's reprieve from those eyes.
"Stop!" the creature demands. The flames from her back spread wildly, commanding Papa's attention away from whatever may be in the meadow. Her hooves kick off the ground as she takes flight. Seeing it in the air, there's only one thing Pom can consider this creature: it is a dragon.
Panic takes full hold of Pom at the sight. She runs past the bridge headlong into the meadow, no thought but to escape this monster. She runs and runs as fast as her legs will carry her as the sound of flapping wings draws nearer and nearer, a crescendo that peaks with the force of a battering ram striking her back. Pom is knocked to the ground as the reptile's leg makes contact, tumbling uncontrollably.
When Pom comes to a stop the dragon hovers in the air, pacing around her in circles before landing atop her. Pom is turned onto her back by the dragon, and with her four hooves pins all of Pom's legs to the ground, preventing any further escape. "You seem to be a poor listener, but whatever your reason for running is I will ask one last time for you to retreat from this meadow. Confused you may be, but all you need to know is if you move any further you will quickly regret what happens."
The heat from this creature's body is too much to bear, its wings splayed wide and the rest of its flames crackling with greater intensity than before. Pom squirms desperate to get away from her, but the dragon only increases the pressure placed on Pom's legs. She leans down to the point that their chests touch, and says into Pom's ear, "I'm being nice here by asking you to stop. I'd love to fight you but, given the circumstances, if you continue to resist I'll just take you out here." Her breath is as hot as her body, smelling of sulfur.
A painful sweat breaks out on Pom's forehead as she lies there paralyzed. Visions of her life flash before her eyes. This is how her life ends.
With all the remaining air in her lungs, Pom lets out a scream.
Taken aback by this, as if Pom had just discovered her weakness, the dragon's expression changes. "Wait, do not do that, screaming is possibly the worst—ARGH!" the dragon shouts before stumbling off Pom. Woof, Pom's brave little pup, rushed forward to save her at the sound of her scream. He flies backward with a kick from the dragon, and the other dogs come to his aid.
"Insolence!" the dragon shouts at the pup. "You should know better, surely you can sense what lies ahead—"
The dragon stops as she finds herself snout-to-snout with Big Papa. She stares up at him, and begins to open her mouth again. A moment later she is hurled into the background with the force of Papa's bark.
Papa and Mama both come to Pom whining, possibly feeling guilty over letting that last so long. Ruff and Puff help her up, and Woof runs to her wagging his tail.
"Oh pups, I'm sorry I'm so weak." laments Pom, still recovering from the shock of this brief encounter. "Yer the best friends a lamb could have."
Pom looks around the meadow, now in more detail since she's past the bridge, trying to see what exactly caused the dogs to be so fearful in the first place. Even with the better view she can't see anything strange... until her eyes notice an ornate door.
Tail between her legs Pom sheepishly walks toward it, her dogs forming a protective circle. They've given up on hiding the danger from Pom and are focused just on keeping her safe if, or when, it comes. Pom reaches out to touch the door, but her hoof goes straight through the center of it, as if it isn't even there. She pulls it back slowly, noticing that the edges of the door have no texture, instead blending into the rest of the meadow like one of the mirages she was told can appear on hot days. It is getting a bit hot right now...
"Is this...?" Pom asks, and the dogs nod in unison. Whatever this is, it's what they were afraid of. Pom looks at it more closely, trying to see if it has any kind of handle or knob, though she can't find anything remotely looking like one. There are strange runes written on the door, an indecipherable language, though it looks similar to whatever was written on the petrified tree. Pom squints, her face inches away from the door—
—and then the dragon's face phases through the other side, bumping noses with her. The two of them lock eyes; it is easy to tell, despite the differences in physiology making expression reading difficult, that the dragon is furious beyond belief.
On reaction Pom screams, running backward, stopped when the dragon flies through the door tackling her and lifting her into the air. "Stop screaming!" the dragon loudly shouts, flying over the brook. "Stop making such loud noises, why won't you listen to a word I say?" The dogs loudly bark as they chase after her, following the even louder sound of Pom's wailing.
Pom is slammed against the wall of the cave, pinned by her assailant's forehooves as she hovers in place. "Listen to me at once, sheep. You must understand that I am doing what is best for you. Firstly stop screaming, secondly stop running, and thirdly do not interact with that door! I do not care if it is grim, if I have to silence you myself I will!"
Pom screams for her dogs.
Gritting her teeth, the dragon lifts one leg from Pom and prepares to strike, holding it in place as if hesitating. The blow fails to come, however, as Puff leaps into the air and makes full body contact with the dragon, knocking her—and Pom—out of the air. Not a moment wasted, Big Mama grabs the dragon by the neck as she hits the ground, jerking her around before slamming her against the floor, Mama's jaw locked.
The dragon lets out a fierce battle-cry as she dashes into the sky, forcing Mama on her hind legs as she struggles to hold on. Puff reaches the sky again as he tries to grab her by the tail, only to come away with a burnt tongue; the tail is nothing more than a flame like her wings, no skin or bones to grip. Mama pulls as hard as she can, Papa on standby to grab the dragon's other end when she's brought low enough. He doesn't get the chance, however.
"I've had enough!" the dragon shouts. "I can and shall defeat you all if that's what it takes!"
Pom had not yet fully recovered and was still struggling to find her footing when the entirety of the cave became drenched with a hellish orange light. Mama was pushed away as it happened, losing her grip. A circle of flame surrounded the dragon as she screamed the name of her attack and the battle changed.
"RAN SHAO FENG!"
Papa is the first to be hit by this new attack. A shrill whistle pierces the air, followed by the pop of a firecracker. Big Papa hits the ground, and the dragon turns her attention to Mama. Another whistle sounds, this time Pom able to see the dragon set her hoof ablaze as the blow connects. Mama backs away in pain, dropping to the floor to smother the fire.
The dragon raises her head and a fountain of flame spews from her mouth. The larger dogs down, Pom's four pups all rush to her defense, the last line of protection. The dragon, not even concerned by the dogs' formation, stares Pom down.
"Why do you make me do this?" she shouts. "Why don't you listen?" Pom shakes in terror, her hearing not yet fully recovered from the loud pops of the dragon's firecracker attacks. "Are you going to apologize? Shall you beg? Whatever your action I tire of trying to reason with you. You have five seconds."
Pom sits in silence. She pulls Woof from the defense line, holding him close and trying to keep him behind her.
"Fine then," the dragon says. "If you will not communicate, my only course is to drag your limp body out of this cave. Do not think I didn't try to do things peacefully."
Despite Pom's intentions Woof steps ahead in defiance, barking loudly in an attempt to scare the dragon off.
"I told you it's dangerous to make such loud noises!" the dragon says, before hitting the puppy with a calculated strike to the chest. There's a slight whimper, and Woof collapses.
The dragon turns to Pom. "He will be fine, no matter how it seems. I hate being forced to attack something so incapable of defending itself, whether that be him or you, lamb. Let it be known this was not my doing. Now it's time to... why are you looking at me like that?"
Pom's vision grays out. Her mind recedes, and her body acts on its own. Even in the dragon's empowered state she is immediately put on the backfoot, utilizing all her training, skill and focus just to evade or block Pom's blows. The dragon is pushed past the bridge, past the door, past the edge of the meadow.
Pom regains full consciousness right as the dragon collides into a jagged wall at the dead end of a tunnel opposite to where they had both entered. The dragon hits the wall with such force that the cave rumbles and groans. It takes a moment for Pom to register it was her hooves holding the dragon against the wall and not the other way around; her body aches from the exercise, having spent energy she didn't even know she had, and she lets go, allowing the dragon to slink onto the ground, Pom meeting her there a moment later. Pom looks around, trying to catch sight of her dogs, but the light of the meadow is long gone. The dim glow of the dragon's flames are the only solace from the crushing blackness of the cave.
Pom looks back at the dragon, wondering if she'll be okay. This is answered, to Pom's horror, when the dragon opens her eyes, wide awake and largely unfazed despite Pom's blind frenzy. Upon seeing Pom she immediately gets to her hooves, lifting Pom up and getting in her face. "You—how did you—what did you—?"
The dragon's questionaire is cut off as a large rock falls where her head was, narrowly missing her due to her reflexes. She grabs Pom and flips into the air as the ceiling gives way to a full collapse. Pom is slammed into the ground and, exhausted past the point of no return, passes out.
Pom awakens in pitch-black darkness to the barks and howls of her dogs. She rushes toward the direction of the howling, feeling pain in her legs as she moves, and feeling more pain as she runs into a wall several feet from the source of the sound. Shaking her head, Pom desperately feels around, finding she's been entirely enclosed by the cave collapse. Pom cries out for the pups, and they cry back, but it's no use.
"Oh. Ohhhh... so this is how it ends." Pom says, voice cracking. "I'm gonna die here... all alone..."
"That last part is not true, little one."
The enclosure is illuminated in an orange blaze. Eyes wide Pom turns to meet the voice.
Calmly sitting in the center of the room is the dragon.